Erskine to Bowling Harbour

Saturday 14th February 2008

 It was a rather murky (stay in bed morning as you will see from the pictures) when we set off from Erskine to walk over the now almost 38 year old Erskine Bridge, opened officially by HRH Princess Anne on 2nd.July 1971. Our walk today would take us across and underneath the Erskine bridge, down through Glen Lusset, and onto the Forth and Clyde canal cycle track, taking us past some very historic places namely the now disused Erskine Ferry slip which had been in use since 1777 until 1971 when the new bridge opened, then passing through the Saltings nature reserve before reaching the village of Bowling with it's canal Basin and Harbour once a thriving port including,weaving in nearby Milton, Printing, shipbuilding, and distilling of whisky at Littlemill Distillery, also Dunglass Castle built around 1380, once owned by the McDonald family, Charles Rennie Mackintosh married Margaret McDonald and made significant changes to the interior of the castle, sadly its now in ruins. Henry Bell's steam paddle ship "COMET" made it's first ever clyde voyage on 6th Aug 1812 and stopped at Dunglass castle, an Obelisk was erected at the Castle in 1838 to commemorate this historic achievement. Most importantly from Bowling was the entrance to the 35 mile long Forth and Clyde canal started in 1768 and finished in 1790 to provide a route for sea-going vessels to the Firth of Forth at the Industrial port of Grangemouth near Edinburgh on the east coast thus saving them the long journey round the north of Scotland. Our journey too ended at Bowling but before we started to make the return to Erskine we were tempted once more by, who else but our very own, "Sherpa" Sadie McGarry who because it was Valentine's Day treated us to her Heart warming "Love Cakes" to lighten our journey back across the Erskine Bridge and home.

Joe Roche.

Last Updated Sunday 23rd August 2009

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