All Greatness Stands Firm in The Storm.

Downstream of the suspension bridge we approached the Glasgow Bridge (or Jamaica Bridge because it is at the bottom of Jamaica Street). It was built in 1899 by Blyth and Westland.

It replaced an earlier bridge built by by Thomas Telford in 1833 and is of similar design but some 20 feet wider. The Telford bridge replaced an earlier bridge built in 1772.
 

There were unexpected arches through the piers...

...it was a stunning location, looking across the river through these many arches within arches.

We emerged from Glasgow Bridge  to be met by the first and second Caledonian Railway Bridges which were built to carry many rail tracks into Central Station. The first Caledonian Railway Bridge dates from 1878. The wrought iron bridge deck carried four tracks and was supported by great pillars of Dalbeattie granite. The deck was removed in 1967.

There are inscriptions in Greek and English on the side of the redundant pillars that face upstream. The English text reads "All Greatness Stands Firm in The Storm". It looked as if it had been inscribed by the builders of the bridge as a Neoclassical Victorian statement of confidence in Glasgow's future.

However, there is a very interesting story behind these inscriptions, they are surprisingly recent. They were carved in 1990 to a design by artist Ian Hamilton Finlay who won a commission from the New Works for Different Places; Four Cities Project organised by Television South West Arts. Finlay explicitly omitted any plaque with his name or any explanation, or even suggestion, that it was an art work. He also intended that it could only be viewed from the river.

We certainly appreciated this surprising discovery on these now apparently purposeless pillars.

Next we paddled under the second Caledonian Railway Bridge which was built in 1905 and carried nine rail tracks into Central Station. It was engineered by Mathieson and Barry using steel lattice girders supported by granite piers.

Immediately downstream of the railway bridges, we came to the George the Fifth Bridge. This was built in 1928 by Considere Construction using reinforced concrete box girder construction, which was faced with decorative granite masonry. For many years the George the Fifth Bridge was the lowest crossing point on the River Clyde. It was not until 1970 that the completion of the Kingston Bridge removed that honour from this fine bridge. The Kingston Bridge proved to be the start of a second phase of bridge construction on the Clyde and we were about to discover whether these new bridges  could match the interest of the old....

Sea kayaking the River Clyde: Glasgow Green to the Merchant City.

On our voyage down the tidal River Clyde by sea kayak from Glasgow Green, the first bridge we came to was the riveted wrought iron Albert Bridge, built in 1871 by Bell and Millar. Through the arches, the next one downstream is the City Union Railway Bridge built in 1899.

Just downstream of the Albert Bridge, the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies is appropriately situated right on the south bank.

We paddled below the City Union Railway Bridge. It was the first steel bridge on the Clyde and carried 4 tracks into the now demolished St Enoch's station. It is a very low bridge because it was built under a now demolished higher bridge so that there would be no disruption to the rail service.

The Merchant City, an old part of Glasgow, lies north of the river here. Many of the old steeples have characteristic blue clock faces. This is the Merchants Steeple, which was built in 1665. It is all that remains of the Merchants Guild Hall and Hospital which was built from 1659 but demolished  in 1817. The merchants could watch for their ships coming up the Clyde from its high balconies. In 1873, the Briggait Fish Market was built on the site round the steeple.

We next paddled under the 1854 Victoria Bridge, which is now Glasgow's oldest surviving complete bridge. It replaced the Bishop's Bridge, which was built in 1345. This in turn was built on the site of the first recorded Glasgow bridge, the wooden "Glaskow Bryg", which was built in 1285.

On the south bank the Clyde lies the area known as the Gorbals. The imposing Georgian Carlton Place was built in the early 1800's as a speculative  attempt to create a wealthy suburb for the city's merchants on the south of the river. It failed as the city grew so quickly that the surrounding land was used to build cheap tenement slums. These housed the hordes of workers that flocked here from the impoverished Highlands and Ireland. The merchants moved west of the city as the prevailing westerly winds meant they smelled the Gorbals less frequently.

The South Portland Street Suspension Bridge is downstream from Carlton Place. It was completed in 1853 by George Martin but only the stone towers are original. the deck and hangers  were renewed in 1870 and 1926.

Behind the suspension bridge on the north bank, the Victorian Riverside House on Clyde street now stands alone, surrounded by modern buildings.

You can find out more about the Clyde from Clyde Waterfront Heritage.

Sea kayaking from a dear green place.

The following kayak posts are about sea kayaking from Glasgow Green, in the heart of the City of Glasgow, down the tidal River Clyde to Port Glasgow at the head of the Firth of Clyde.

This morning we met at the Newark Castle car park in the upper Firth of Clyde. We then ran a shuttle on the M8 motorway into the heart of Glasgow, the "dear green place".

We were bound for Glasgow Green, the oldest of the city's many parks.

It marks the upper limit of the tidal River Clyde. Above the tidal barrage is the preserve of several rowing clubs.

Below the barrage there is a solid railing fence to discourage the locals from going for a swim, especially if they are pished.

You can drive a car and park at the West Boat House. The best entrance to Glasgow Green is off Ballater Street on the "north" bank of the Clyde. There is a "no entry approved vehicles only" sign. Assume you are approved and drive through the park at 5mph with your hazard lights on (local bye-law). On a winter Sunday,  I left my car here until 17:30, well after dark, with no problem. At 09:00, when we arrived, there were about 5 rowers' cars, mine was the only one left in the evening. From talking to the rowers, they would not leave a car here after about 10pm, due to the local nocturnal wildlife.

Downstream of the barrage, there is a locked pair of yellow gates. In the past you could only paddle down the Clyde as part of a large organised group, on a specific day and an annual paddle has been held for several years now. Recently the Scottish Canoe Association has negotiated access for individual kayakers to put in below the barrage and to paddle the Cldye through Glasgow harbour to the Firth of Clyde. You can contact them for the combination for the padlock. Directly below the gate the bank is steep into deep water but 60m downstream you can launch here...

...in the corner of the Albert Bridge.

Before setting off, you should contact Clyde Estuary Control on VHF channel 12, tel: 01475726221 who will inform you of any shipping movements or whether seaplanes are expected to land/take off and warn of areas to avoid, which side of the river to follow etc..

You can download the Clydeport Marine Leisure guide from their website.

You should also contact Clyde coastguard on channel 16, tel: 01475729988 and contact them again once you are off the water. You need to carry a VHF and listen for warnings on channels 12 and 16. You also need to leave your VHF call sign with the coastguard.

Another consideration, before paddling this route, is the water level in the Clyde. In periods of heavy rain or thaw the Clyde can rise dramatically. The week before we paddled this route there was a major thaw and at Daldowie, 11km upstream of the barrage, the level was 1.4m compared with a base level of 0.2m. Down at the barrage the water was going straight over the top, creating a nasty stopper and at high tide launching would have been very dangerous down a steep bank into deep fast flowing water.

We put on when the level at Daldowie was a much more reasonable 0.4m and had little difficulty. You can monitor Clyde river levels p to 24hours previously at the Sepa website.

There is a risk of a serious bacterial infectious disease called leptospirosis or Weil's disease, which can be caused by coming in contact with fresh water contaminated by infected rats' urine. Running through a city, the Clyde has an ample share of rats so you should take precautions. Don't paddle if you have an open blister or cut. Don't let any river water get near anything you are going to eat or drink. (We normally paddle with drink bladders/tubes on deck, we didn't this time. Don't put your hands near your mouth or nose if they have been in contact with water or with grass or soil on the bank. We used alcohol gel to clean our hands before eating. You should also avoid licking your lips if water splashes on your face. We decided it would be prudent not to practice rolling in the Clyde!

The incubation period of leptospirosis is about 3 days to 3 weeks after exposure. If you develop some or all of the following: high temperature, severe headache, muscle pain, nausea, red eyes, skin rash, you should see a doctor as an emergency and say you have been paddling in the Clyde and are worried about leptospirosis.

We believe we are the first small group to make use of this new concession and it was with some anticipation that we set off below the Albert Bridge. What would we find? Some of our friends did not come fearing pollution and urban decay.

Sea kayaking to Lochgoilhead from Arrochar, Loch Long

A 25km day trip from Arrochar at the head of Loch Long to Lochgoilhead at the head of Loch Goil.

Entering Loch Goil from Loch Long.



Hunched by the cold, a long, long way from the open sea.

Sea kayaking in the mountains with torpedoes and invisible ink.

Sea kayaking in search of the lost Ark.

 HMS Ark Royal, final voyage to Scotland.

Two million barrels of crude in Loch Long.

The mark of a good bothy

War and peace at Carraig nan Ron.

Carrick castle and the leading lights of Loch Goil.

A hall of mirrors in Loch Goil.

Photo album map.

Seakayaking in the shade of mountains.

The beach at the mouth of Glen Sannox usually has a deep covering of silvery granite sand, which has been washed down from the mountains. Recent storms have stripped much away and it was a rough landing on the exposed boulders. We were now in the chilly shade of the mountains.

We paddled down the east coast of Arran below rocky ridges that rose high into the blue vault of the sky. A couple of paragliders were soaring above the windward slope of Goatfell.

We emerged into the sunshine again as we approached Merkland Point, which guards the north entrance to Brodick Bay. The silhouette of Holy Island reminded us of another great sea kayaking destination in the Clyde.

The sun began to set behind the beautiful mixed woodland, which grows right down to the shore at Merkland Point.

Unfortunately the resident otters were nowhere to be seen, so we paddled out...

...into the broad expanse of Brodick Bay. The sun was now well below our horizon but high above us, the A'Chir ridge and Goatfell still caught the dying rays of the sun. It was now only a short paddle to the ferry terminal. We were in good in time for the 16:40 ferry to Ardrossan and a welcome hot meal aboard.

Sunglasses and pogies across a dazzling, cold sea.

The stop on Bute was cold despite the winter sun. It was a relief to start the 10.6km crossing of the Sound of Bute to Sannox on Arran. Pogies helped keep our hands warm. The thermometer on my radio didn't go above -2C all day.

We left Bute in very calm conditions and a little sprinting soon had us warm again.

It was a very companionable crossing and the mountainouus backdrop was its usual magnificent self!

About half way across, a breeze got up from the SE. It seemed to accelerate round the steep slopes of Holy Island.

We were glad of our sunglasses as we paddled across a dazzling sea.

As we approached Glen Sannox, our tiny craft were dwarfed by the scale of the landscape. When  we entered the cold shade of its mountains there was no more need for sunglasses. Indeed, the nearby village of Lochranza gets almost no direct sun in winter. The sun never rises above Arran's peaks from its street..

Making light work of a huge volume of melt and a small volume of malt.

It did not take long to reach the Little (Wee) Cumbrae from Portencross. One of the first Scottish light beacons to warn shipping is situated on the summit of the island. It is a simple round tower, 8.5m high, which...

... was built by James Ewing in 1757. An open coal brazier was situated at its top and served as the source of light. It proved to be a profitable business as there was a tax on every ship, which passed on the way up the Clyde to Port Glasgow and Greenock. However, it was often obscured by low cloud and it had a voracious appetite for coal. The coal came from near Glasgow and was transported by horse and cart for 45km over the hills to Irvine in Ayrshire before being transferred to a boat for the Wee Cumbrae. It was then hauled another kilometer up to the 123m high summit. It was not exactly light work...

...so it was replaced in 1793 by this lighthouse (with oil lamps and reflectors) on a raised beach on the west coast of the island. From here we now crossed the main Firth of Clyde shipping channel...

...to the Island of Bute. Our arrival was marked by the modern Rubh' an Eun automated solar powered light.

We hadn't bothered watching the GPS as we thought we were crossing the channel at slack, low water. However, looking at our tracks later, we discovered we had been carried 0.7km down tide, before we started correcting. The ebb had lasted longer than expected, because of the huge volume of  melt water from the recent snow coming down the Clyde. This happened after a dramatic thaw, which saw a 22 degree Celsius temperature range in less than 24 hours.  The Clyde river levels at Daldowie gauge were 10 times higher than base levels!

We landed at Port Leithne for first luncheon. Jim, Phil, Tony and I had come equipped with fine Scottish fare.. we had each brought a different malt whisky. We were somewhat bemused to discover that our four friends from the Castle Craigs Canoe Club had brought none! That's one of the problems with paddling in a regular group, you begin to think that the way you do things is normal. One of the advantages in paddling with a new group is having your preconceptions about what is normal behaviour exposed for what they are.

Well, all I can say to our new friends from CCCC is "Fancy thinking that coming out seakayaking without a dram of malt is normal!" :o)