The Opening of Edinburgh Quay in April 2005

When the Union canal reopened a few years ago, it stopped at the Leamington lift bridge in Edinburgh BUT there was another 200 yards or so of canal beyond the bridge. The area round the terminus had been yuppyfied and smart offices, restaurants, bars and houses are being built where there used to be an assortment of old buildings and it was renamed Edinburgh Quay. The official opening was to take place on March 22nd, 2005 and of course, Gamebird was invited! We left our moorings at Ratho for the eight mile trip in and we soon caught up with the flotilla of boats from Linlithgow and Ratho which were making their way to the event. We arrived and moored up before the lift bridge and chatted while we waited for the officials to arrive and go though the lift bridge on board the BW Millennium Link and the Bridge Inns Pride of Belhaven. The wind had got up by this time and the plan of having the boats holding position in the basin was abandoned. Instead the boats left their moorings to go through the bridge in their pecking order. We all moored up on the brand new pontoons and listened to the official speeches before adjourning to the nearby restaurant for a coffee - I think BWs supply of champagne and whisky for official openings must have run out. The boats then started leaving the Quay  and we were soon the only occupied boat left. We spent the night on board  and I was told when walking my dogs the next morning that we were the first boat to have been occupied overnight there for over 40 years. Maybe we were , maybe we weren't but it was good to be there anyway. We made our way back to Ratho having taken part in another bit of canal history.

 Here are a few photos of the event - not here yet! watch this space.