Stand Up Paddleboarding Cadder Wharf to Bishopbriggs along the Clyde and Forth Canal

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The Main Points

• Location – Cadder Wharf, Glasgow, Scotland
• Cost – Free canal access with parking adjacent to the Cadder Wharf pontoon
• Conditions – Canal
• Other users – Some other paddlers (it’s becoming more popular), Walkers, runners and cyclists on tow path.
• Entry Point – Pontoon/jetty
• Surrounding amenities/Bathrooms- Bishopbriggs has cafes and shops and bathroom facilities

Location

Weather

A Wee Blether

Another great place to stand up paddleboard on the Clyde and Forth Canal in the Glasgow area is Cadder Wharf. There are a couple of pontoons to which canal boats are tied. The best place to put your stand up paddleboard into the water is the far left end of the pontoon as you face the canal where there is plenty of space.

From here you can paddle back towards Bishopbriggs and Glasgow by heading west under the bridge. Alternatively you can head east towards Kirkintilloch and on towards Falkirk and the Firth of Forth.

Paddleboarding along the canal

Our main aim was to stand up paddleboard along the canal from Cadder Wharf back towards the Bishopbriggs Golf Course which was the extent of our last paddle session on the canal. Usually we end up turning around when we come across some territorial swans as we don’t like to upset them. Paddling early in the season coincides with signet season and the parents are pretty protective understandably. We have heard how getting too close to the swans can drive them into other swans territory and cause them to fight and harm each other. I would much rather call it a day on our session and leave them in peace.

Fortunately we were able to get to the back of the golf course before we ran into the same swans we saw last time and were able to complete another part of the canal paddle.

It was such a beautiful day and even though we didn’t paddle far we still spent a few hours on the canal enjoying the sunny weather. We took our GoPro Chest Mount for a test drive for the first time too. I will do a road test article about it in a later blog.

The biggest challenge I saw with the chest mount was that it was hard to get a stable image due to the twisting action of your torso when you paddle. It was good to get a slightly different perspective though as it shoots your film through your arms and so you get a clip of yourself paddling.

If you are interested in using a GoPro for your stand up paddleboarding sessions check out these great articles;

Is the GoPro the Perfect camera for Stand Up Paddleboarding?

The Best GoPro Mount for Paddleboarding

How to take the Perfect SUP Selfie

The canal was busy with life, the waters teeming with tadpoles. We also came across some cute little ducklings and another interesting bird with a big long beak that kept an eye on us as we paddled along the canal. Check out our video below to see them all.