Spring on a Scottish Canal.

I was up at Kirkintilloch yesterday, for a walk along the Forth and Clyde Canal. It was a lovely spring day - warm and sunny - a promise of summer (I hope). There were loads of Dandelions and quite a few common Daisies out on the canal bank, and at the side of the new road bridge, with lots of Bumble bees buzzing around looking for nectar. I also spotted my first butterflies for this year - two Peacock bitterflies and also two Small Tortoiseshell butterflies who kept having territorial disputes!! They were feeding on some large patches of Lesser Celandine which were on the steps down to below the aquaduct [at Luggie Park on the old railway walkway]. The Mute Swans were sautering up and down one small area - and I think had overloaded on bread from the various people who had come to feed them. They can easily distinguish between people who have shopping bags with food for them and the people just passing by. They also head straight for anyone with a small child who stops to look at them --- they know they are going to get fed!!

I managed to catch sight of and watch a holiday barge as it headed through the swing bridge at Townhead [ and held up all the road traffic in the process]. It sailed regally through, and I later saw them moored at the town centre - probably for lunch!
I think the canal is going to be much busier with boat traffic this year as there are more boats to hire and more charter boats being added to fleets this year. Just check out the Nolly Barge at www.nollybarge.co.uk or the Forth and Clyde Canal Society at www.forthandclyde.org.uk
Both are charitable organisations which provide charters and boats for local people as well as the 'wider community', and both of them are launching new trip boats in 2005.