Forth and Clyde Canal

What to spot on the Forth & Clyde

Wildlife: Wildflowers and grasses, water-loving plants, insects, fish, birds and mammals.
Opening times: Open all year.
Access/Conditions: A towpath runs along the full length of the canal and has good wheelchair access.
Facilities: A variety of cafes, pubs and shops can be found in towns and villages across the length of the canal.
How to get there: The M9 leads to Grangemouth and A82 leads to Bowling.
Parking: Car parking can be found at towns and villages across the length of the canal and at some canalside locations.

The Forth & Clyde Canal is a popular home to many birds, including mute swan, mallard, coot, little grebe and tufted duck. Below the waterline, shoals of pike, perch and roach can be seen. Otters also frequent the canal and, along with pipistrelle and Daubenton’s bats, are most active at night. Nearby hedgerows and woodland provide cover, nesting sites and food for hedgehogs, grey partridge, chaffinch, water voles and wood mice. Watch out for the extremely rare Bennett’s pondweed – the only locaton in the world where it is known to occur.

Across the canal there are four places of particular wildlife interest - Dullatur Marsh and Possil Loch are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and each end of the canal is a designated Special Protection Area (SPA) for estuarine birds.

The canal, built 1768-1790, was the first ship canal in the world and provided a link from the east coast to the west coast. It is 35 miles (56km) long, has 39 locks and connects with the 115ft (35m) high Falkirk Wheel, the world’s first rotating boat lift, on the Union Canal.