The Quiet Canal
Four years in the making, The Union Canal ran from Edinburgh to Falkirk where it was joined by a series of eleven locks to the Forth and Clyde Canal to continue its journey to Glasgow. It was opened in 1822 mainly for the purpose of transporting coal to Scotland’s capital; but also providing a passenger service, taking about eight hours from Edinburgh to Glasgow. The opening of the Glasgow-Edinburgh railway in 1842 had an immediate and dramatic impact on the Union Canal and by 1848, passenger services were virtually at an end until 2002, when the Falkirk Wheel was finished and the Union Canal could once again join the Forth and Clyde Canal. In this book Thorsen takes you along the path of the canal exploring the 32 miles of rural, serene landscape left virtually untouched by urbanisation and mass transportation. He observes how the canal has become a haven for everyone from walkers, joggers, cyclists and canoeists, to diners on floating restaurants. As Thorsen’s imagery depicts, life along the canal moves slowly, quietly - a perpetual state where furtive wildlife intertwines with a calm atmosphere. You can almost hear the quietness of the canal.
Edinburgh, 2009