I clocked the weather forecast for later on in the evening and the weather forecast was good. Minimal breeze with sunny intervals. Always nice to have something to look forward to at the end of the day.
My other half was up for the jaunt, so 5 mins to pack the car and we were off. Truly blessed to live just 15mins drive from various paddleboarding opportunities.
Now I know I’m a bit paranoid about going out on the Forth and Clyde canal in the evening in case I get shot at with an air rifle or worse, but I figured that if I headed to a segment that was a little less populated the biggest threat I might face could end up being an angry Cob and Pen (had to look that up, or at least the Pen bit)
I know that B-Hive run paddleboarding lessons from Bowling [update: Their unit in one of the railway arches is still there but they moved out last year!] but when we got down there we were a bit unsure about where to get into the water. Lots of lovely houseboats moored along that stretch of the canal and plenty of “Residents only” signs on gates along the jetty. Such a lovely night, really not wanting to piss off anyone.
I asked the first resident I saw where paddleboarders usually get into the water and she mentioned something about the “B-Hive”. Bit confused by that but another resident noticed my confusion and kindly informed me that we could launch via the ladder right next to her boat! That made it all a lot easier. Especially as I hadn’t packed the leashes (had left them out to dry after our previous trip to Luss). Not sure we’ll get such a warm reception every time we go down there but the vibe is generally fairly friendly. A bonus being able to park right next to the water.
What a great paddle we had!
With the lock to Bowling Harbour to your right, there really is only one obvious way to go and what a lovely stretch it is! Must be around 2km on perfectly calm water, all the way to the Erskine Bridge! Whilst some stretches are bit noisy (so much traffic on the roads nearby) there were plenty of peaceful moments.
Thankfully, no neds but lots of friendly folk waving and saying hello from the footpath. The biggest moment of potential jeopardy was getting past a family of swans who were quite rightly worried about their nest and wee ones.
Made sure we were kneeling down for that bit in case we got attacked.
There’s also a bit 1km in where you’ll either need to get out of the water with your board or lie flat on your stomach and go under a low bridge.
Great paddle, we were back at the house within 2 hours of leaving and felt all the better for it.
So chilled, I forgot to turn my watch off, hence the bit of overland at the end!
At only around 15 minutes drive from the house, I’ll definitely be back here. It’ll be even better when they get round to opening a restaurant at the harbour!
