Join us for a boat trip down the Forth and Clyde canal
Navvies Barge is a 10 foot wide canal boat built in the 1990s. It started its life as a home and maintains this welcoming characteristic. Inside she has a comfortable seating area leading to a fully equipped galley (kitchen), a toilet and then our history snug to the rear of the boat.
We encourage customers to call Navvies Barge home for their time on board. Bring food, drink and enjoy hours spent on the canal with loved ones. Inside the boat will be yours for the duration of the trip. Your trip will be skippered and you are more than welcome to join us at the back of the boat to have a go at steering. The front of the boat is open, a lovely spot to sit and watch the world go by (my mum's favourite place to sit with a book).
Tea and coffee will be provided on arrival. How you spend your time with us is entirely up to you, come and chat to us about life on the canal, its history and its challenges, or sit with friends with a glass of something nice making memories.
Join us for a boat trip down the Forth and Clyde canal
Navvies Barge is a 10 foot wide canal boat built in the 1990s. It started its life as a home and maintains this welcoming characteristic. Inside she has a comfortable seating area leading to a fully equipped galley (kitchen), a toilet and then our history snug to the rear of the boat.
We encourage customers to call Navvies Barge home for their time on board. Bring food, drink and enjoy hours spent on the canal with loved ones. Inside the boat will be yours for the duration of the trip. Your trip will be skippered and you are more than welcome to join us at the back of the boat to have a go at steering. The front of the boat is open, a lovely spot to sit and watch the world go by (my mum's favourite place to sit with a book).
Tea and coffee will be provided on arrival. How you spend your time with us is entirely up to you, come and chat to us about life on the canal, its history and its challenges, or sit with friends with a glass of something nice making memories.
2 hour trip
Our two hour boat trip leaves Applecross Basin and takes us past the Hamiltonhill Claypits Local Nature Reserve. These are a reclaimed nature reserve managed by the local community. This beautiful spot is home to an array of wildlife and swiftly begins the journey into a wildlife corridor through North Glasgow. Keep eyes to the left here for beautiful views of the West End and the University of Glasgow.
The next key landmark along this route is Firhill Stadium, home to Partick Thistle. Here we navigate slowly past moored boats, expect a wave from our lovely neighbours!
The trip then continues along the canal running parallel to Maryhill Road. This beautiful run of water couldn't feel further from the business of the city, onboard the boat you see this beautiful corridor in a completely different way and get lost for a couple of hours.
The half way point of the trip is the new Stockingfield Bridge. A beautiful landmark that sought to reconnect communities separated by the canal for 200 years. This is the point of the trip we will need to be especially careful of creatures lurking by the canal. Bella the Beithir, the 121 metre snake calls this section of the canal home. An incredible installation created by local community groups made up of thousands of tiles. A truly impressive sight well worth a visit.
We will turn around here and make our journey back to Applecross Basin. This trip celebrates what is called the “Glasgow Branch”, it was the beginning of the Monklands canal which it has been separate from since the construction of the M8.
| Time | 2 hours |
|---|---|
| Cost | £140 / group |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Tea & Coffee | ✅ |
Our two hour boat trip leaves Applecross Basin and takes us past the Hamiltonhill Claypits Local Nature Reserve. These are a reclaimed nature reserve managed by the local community. This beautiful spot is home to an array of wildlife and swiftly begins the journey into a wildlife corridor through North Glasgow. Keep eyes to the left here for beautiful views of the West End and the University of Glasgow.
The next key landmark along this route is Firhill Stadium, home to Partick Thistle. Here we navigate slowly past moored boats, expect a wave from our lovely neighbours!
The trip then continues along the canal running parallel to Maryhill Road. This beautiful run of water couldn't feel further from the business of the city, onboard the boat you see this beautiful corridor in a completely different way and get lost for a couple of hours.
The half way point of the trip is the new Stockingfield Bridge. A beautiful landmark that sought to reconnect communities separated by the canal for 200 years. This is the point of the trip we will need to be especially careful of creatures lurking by the canal. Bella the Beithir, the 121 metre snake calls this section of the canal home. An incredible installation created by local community groups made up of thousands of tiles. A truly impressive sight well worth a visit.
We will turn around here and make our journey back to Applecross Basin. This trip celebrates what is called the “Glasgow Branch”, it was the beginning of the Monklands canal which it has been separate from since the construction of the M8.
| Time | 2 hours |
|---|---|
| Cost | £140 / group |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Tea & Coffee | ✅ |
Half day trip
Our half day trip will take the same route as our 2 hour trip, however at the Stockingfield Bridge we are presented with several choices.
We can continue towards the River Clyde, stopping at the Maryhill Locks. This is a good spot to see the incredible engineering that made navigation along the canals possible. For the Still Game fans out there, keep an eye out for Jack and Victor here on the way to Navids! We will then turn around and head back to see Bella at the Bridge. From here we can meander the other way along the Forth and Clyde. This will bring us to the Lambhill Stables, an old stable for the horses pulling boats that is now a thriving community hub and cafe. The stables aren't the oldest thing of significance here, however. This is the location of the Antonine Wall, a Roman defence marking the northern extremities of the Roman Empire. A Statue of a centurion marks this spot. Find out more about this on our History page.
Another variation of this trip can take us up towards Bishopbriggs through the Possil Marshes. This trip opts against moving towards the Clyde and goes in the direction of the Forth for an hour and a half. For this we go past the stables and into a more open landscape with views of the campsies before turning back.
The half day trip gives us a little more flexibility so either let us know what you would like to do or we can decide on the day.
| Time | 3 hours |
|---|---|
| Cost | £195 / group |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Tea & Coffee | ✅ |
Our half day trip will take the same route as our 2 hour trip, however at the Stockingfield Bridge we are presented with several choices.
We can continue towards the River Clyde, stopping at the Maryhill Locks. This is a good spot to see the incredible engineering that made navigation along the canals possible. For the Still Game fans out there, keep an eye out for Jack and Victor here on the way to Navids! We will then turn around and head back to see Bella at the Bridge. From here we can meander the other way along the Forth and Clyde. This will bring us to the Lambhill Stables, an old stable for the horses pulling boats that is now a thriving community hub and cafe. The stables aren't the oldest thing of significance here, however. This is the location of the Antonine Wall, a Roman defence marking the northern extremities of the Roman Empire. A Statue of a centurion marks this spot. Find out more about this on our History page.Another variation of this trip can take us up towards Bishopbriggs through the Possil Marshes. This trip opts against moving towards the Clyde and goes in the direction of the Forth for an hour and a half. For this we go past the stables and into a more open landscape with views of the campsies before turning back.
The half day trip gives us a little more flexibility so either let us know what you would like to do or we can decide on the day.
| Time | 3 hours |
|---|---|
| Cost | £195 / group |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Tea & Coffee | ✅ |
Full day trip
The long boat trip takes us to Kirkintilloch, the so called Canal Capital of Scotland. This trip navigates along the Glasgow branch and then takes a turn in the direction of the River Forth when we get to see Bella the Beithir at the new bridge.
This is our longest trip and gives you the opportunity to see the landscape slowly shift as we gently cruise out of Glasgow. Cadder is a particularly beautiful section of the canal, trees overhang and reflect on the water making it feel like a magical place to be. The open fields with views of the Campsie Fells in the distance make this a wonderful diverse trip along the canal.
This is a full day out on the boat and takes roughly two and a half hours to reach Kirkintilloch. The majority of our trips call in for lunch at The Stables Pub. Alternatively, Cadder Wharf is a beautiful spot along the canal for a picnic. We have a fully working kitchen on board so feel free to stay on the boat and have lunch.
| Time | 7 hours |
|---|---|
| Cost | £300 / group |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Tea & Coffee | ✅ |
The long boat trip takes us to Kirkintilloch, the so called Canal Capital of Scotland. This trip navigates along the Glasgow branch and then takes a turn in the direction of the River Forth when we get to see Bella the Beithir at the new bridge.
This is our longest trip and gives you the opportunity to see the landscape slowly shift as we gently cruise out of Glasgow. Cadder is a particularly beautiful section of the canal, trees overhang and reflect on the water making it feel like a magical place to be. The open fields with views of the Campsie Fells in the distance make this a wonderful diverse trip along the canal.
This is a full day out on the boat and takes roughly two and a half hours to reach Kirkintilloch. The majority of our trips call in for lunch at The Stables Pub. Alternatively, Cadder Wharf is a beautiful spot along the canal for a picnic. We have a fully working kitchen on board so feel free to stay on the boat and have lunch.
| Time | 7 hours |
|---|---|
| Cost | £300 / group |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Tea & Coffee | ✅ |
Single ticket
This year we are introducing single ticket boat trips. These trips will follow the route of the 2 hour boat trip described above. The trips will be available for up to 6 people and you will share the boat with others (limited to 6 max). Again feel free to make the boat home for this trip. Bring food and drink and make new friends. If you are interested in joining for one of these let us know and we can let you know the dates we have available.
| Time | 2 hours |
|---|---|
| Cost | £30 / group |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Tea & Coffee | ✅ |
This year we are introducing single ticket boat trips. These trips will follow the route of the 2 hour boat trip described above. The trips will be available for up to 6 people and you will share the boat with others (limited to 6 max). Again feel free to make the boat home for this trip. Bring food and drink and make new friends. If you are interested in joining for one of these let us know and we can let you know the dates we have available.
| Time | 2 hours |
|---|---|
| Cost | £30 / group |
| Capacity | 12 |
| Tea & Coffee | ✅ |
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