
Today my morning and afternoon were spent with one of my best friends travelling along the Forth and Clyde Canal, Scotland. This is a canal that was opened in 1790 and runs 35 miles from the River Carron, Grangemouth to the River Clyde, Bowling.
My friend and I obviously only cycled a small part of this (something I used to do a lot when I was younger and honestly I forgot just how lovely a route it is). We cycled from our houses in Glasgow along the canal towards Bowling Basin Sea Lock. What an effort it was! For two 22 year olds that haven’t cycled since we were both very young, probably about 10 years, I think we were slightly too ambitious. A 50 minute cycle from our house seems like nothing, but add the same back when your bum is killing you and your thighs have been burning since the first 2 minutes on the bike; I definitely think we should have been a little less ambitious.
This is exactly what I love about Glasgow, within a half an hour cycle you’re out of the hustle and bustle of the city; surrounded by water and hills (which today looked beautiful with a slight layer of white covering mostly all of them). Scotland is such a beautiful, picturesque country.
It’s always so lovely getting out of the city and up towards the part of Scotland I love most. We didn’t have the best of days for it, it was dry – at first, but that’s about it. It was cold and grey to start with and after we got to Bowling Basin Sea Lock, had our little packed lunches (we’re so cute) and started to head home it wasn’t long until the rain started. With just little outbursts of spitting rain it was tollerable, but it certainly did make it colder and the wind definitely did not help (I was basically crying the whole way because of the wind).
Rain or shine, it is a route I would suggest if you are keen to get on a bike and see somewhere just outside the outskirts of city life, this is for you.
Yasmin x