This page consists of everything that wouldn't really fit anywhere else on the site. The guestbook is unfortunately read-only at the moment thanks to Cable Internet, so you can't sign it, but you can read the comments put in before the move. There's also a list of recommended books and a glossary of canal terms, plus three stories I wrote when I was younger about my first three walks along the Forth and Clyde Canal. If you're only interested in hard facts, then try the online guide instead, but I think other canal enthusiasts may find the stories interesting.

• Bowling to Glasgow walk story
• Glasgow to Kilsyth walk story
• Kilsyth to Falkirk walk story

If you've enjoyed looking at this site, here are some books and newsletters you might be interested in:

• Scotland's Millennium Canals, by Guthrie Hutton - Guthrie Hutton's latest book is also his most ambitious - it tells the whole story of the Forth and Clyde and Union canals, from their opening two centuries ago right up to the Millennium Link restoration project. As well as the entertaining and informative text, this book is packed with photos and interesting little snippets of information. Published by Stenlake Publishing
• Scotland's Inland Waterways, by PJG Ransom - A new book about the history of not only Scotland's canals, but also some of the lochs which have been used for transport. Mentions the Millennium Link and other restoration projects too. Published by NMS Publishing Limited and available from bookshops or direct from the publisher.
• The Forth and Clyde Canal Guidebook - This is an excellent guide to the Forth and Clyde Canal, giving a description of the canal from end to end, the story of its history and restoration, and suggestions for enjoying the canal. Although the latest edition was published in 1991, most of the information is still up to date and accurate. Published by Strathkelvin District Libraries and Museums, and available from the Forth and Clyde Canal Society.
• Exploring the Edinburgh to Glasgow Canals, by Hamish Brown - This guide is slightly more up to date and covers both the Forth and Clyde and Union canals, concentrating mainly on how to get to the various sections of canal, and exploring them on foot. A very worthwhile read for anyone planning to visit the canals. Published by the Stationery Office, and available from bookshops.
• A Forth and Clyde Canalbum, The Union Canal - a Capital Asset, and Monkland - the Canal that Made Money - these three books by Guthrie Hutton are primarily historical in their content, but they do mention the restoration as well. They contain many old postcards and photographs of the canals, and interesting and informative captions. Definitely worth a place in any canal enthusiast's bookcase. Published by Richard Stenlake, but unfortunately out of print now.
• Forth and Clyde: The Comeback Canal - a "sequel" to the Forth and Clyde Canalbum, very similar in content but with different pictures and captions. Also by Guthrie Hutton and published by Stenlake.
• The Link - this is British Waterways' quarterly newsletter about the Millennium Link project. The cost is 4 pounds for one year's subscription (four issues). Well worth it for anyone interested in the project.
• Ordnance Survey Maps - If you're considering visiting the canals, it may be worth buying the relevant OS maps. Landrangers 64, 65, and 66 cover the lowland canals, or keen walkers may prefer to use the larger scale Pathfinder maps instead. The Forth and Clyde Canal is covered by sheets 403, 416, 404, 405 and 393, the Union by sheets 405, 406 and 407, and the Monkland by sheet 417.

This glossary is far from being comprehensive, but I have tried to define any terms used on this site that may cause confusion. I'm afraid it is a bit patronising and defines some very basic canal terms indeed, so if you know anything about canals already, you may want to skip it. You have been warned :)

• Aqueduct - a bridge like a viaduct which carries a canal over a river, road, railway or occasionally even another canal
• Lock - a special chamber with water tight gates at each end which allows a canal to change level
• Towpath - a path which runs along next to a waterway, originally used by horses towing barges (hence the name). Now popular places with walkers, cyclists and naturalists
• Offside - the bank of a canal opposite the one with the towpath. Should be left undisturbed when possible to allow wildlife to flourish there
• Culvert - in general, a word for a pipe carrying a canal, river or stream under something else. In this site, I usually use it to mean a road blockage where the canal is piped under a road embankment. A drowned culvert means the pipe is completely submerged, whereas an Armco culvert is only half-submerged. A box culvert is usually rectangular and made of concrete, and can look like a bridge.
• Bascule Bridge - Derived from the French word for sea-saw. These little bridges are split in the middle, and each side swings upwards separately, allowing tall boats to pass. There are some working bascules on the Forth and Clyde Canal
• Pound - A stretch of canal all on the same level, i.e. between two locks. Often used in summit pound, meaning the highest point on a canal

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