Welcome to the wild west of Glasgow’s waterways
March 12, 2025 1:06 AM Subscribe
“Not many people come out in the rain,” says Goody, with a smile. “But we just batter on. You never know, we could pull out Rob Roy’s sword, fingers crossed”. They fish “for the history,” he adds. A lot of this history seems to be embodied by weaponry, judging from the list Goody reels off. Unexploded ordnances are a particular pain. “We’re a bit scared of pu’ing them oot — feart in case the police will do us wi a public disorder or suhhin like that. It becomes a bit of nuisance when you have to phone the polis and get the MOD out.” from Magnet fishing is supposed to be a wholesome hobby. Why all the beef?
The Forth & Clyde Canal towpath was my bike commute around 25 years ago. The canal had been shut down in the 1960s, and it had been up to the various local councils to do what they wanted with the space. Stirling City Council saw fit to dump truckloads of old cars in the water (my uncle was a very junior engineer there at the time), so to call it a scheduled monument is pushing the definition.
The canal was re-opened for navigation for year 2000. So all of that crap (plus 40 years of water lily stems, which end up roughly the thickness of trees) had to come out. There was also a lot of live ammunition, from mortar bombs from a capsized munitions boat to huge WW2 things lurking in the mud. So while the canal was a known place to dispose of an unwanted weapon, there were other weapons just as ready to respond to the lure of a magnet.
posted by scruss at 2:58 AM on March 12 [11 favorites]
The canal was re-opened for navigation for year 2000. So all of that crap (plus 40 years of water lily stems, which end up roughly the thickness of trees) had to come out. There was also a lot of live ammunition, from mortar bombs from a capsized munitions boat to huge WW2 things lurking in the mud. So while the canal was a known place to dispose of an unwanted weapon, there were other weapons just as ready to respond to the lure of a magnet.
posted by scruss at 2:58 AM on March 12 [11 favorites]
to call it a scheduled monument is pushing the definition
Well, the Ottomans once used the Parthenon as a munitions dump, which prompted the Venetians to blow it up... I'm not sure temporary disregard for a monument should be the last word on the matter. The canals are pretty nice now. (I live near the Union Canal.)
A highly entertaining article. Almost tempted to buy a magnet and go out and join them (the Edinburgh faction, I suppose). A metal detector might be a safer bet, though.
posted by rory at 3:08 AM on March 12 [7 favorites]
Well, the Ottomans once used the Parthenon as a munitions dump, which prompted the Venetians to blow it up... I'm not sure temporary disregard for a monument should be the last word on the matter. The canals are pretty nice now. (I live near the Union Canal.)
A highly entertaining article. Almost tempted to buy a magnet and go out and join them (the Edinburgh faction, I suppose). A metal detector might be a safer bet, though.
posted by rory at 3:08 AM on March 12 [7 favorites]
A series of emojis accompanied the post: a magnet, axe, knife, crossed swords and a shopping trolley
🧲🪓⚔️🛒
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posted by HearHere at 3:14 AM on March 12 [4 favorites]
🧲🪓⚔️🛒
🤔
posted by HearHere at 3:14 AM on March 12 [4 favorites]
To McGeachin’s ire, in April 2021 the alternative group, Edinburgh Magnet Fishing, was selected for the consent agreement, under the umbrella of a Scottish Canals mandated chapter: Official Magnet Fishing Scotland
Edimbra! “Consent agreement!” “Mandated chapter!”That’ll inspire ire alright.
posted by rongorongo at 4:22 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
Edimbra! “Consent agreement!” “Mandated chapter!”That’ll inspire ire alright.
posted by rongorongo at 4:22 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
Today I leaned that magnet fishing exists. And hooo boy that story did not go where I expected it to go. Good stuff.
chavenet, I don't know how you find all the things you post, but they're always a delight. thanks!
posted by martin q blank at 6:07 AM on March 12 [7 favorites]
chavenet, I don't know how you find all the things you post, but they're always a delight. thanks!
posted by martin q blank at 6:07 AM on March 12 [7 favorites]
HearHere, exactly. The gap in communication register produces a chasm in empathy and understanding between officials to whom “respect” means “unquestioning obedience” and people who express frustration less genteelly than officials would like.
posted by toodleydoodley at 6:39 AM on March 12 [3 favorites]
posted by toodleydoodley at 6:39 AM on March 12 [3 favorites]
I have magnet fished in downtown Providence, Ri, but only for scooters that I could see clearly: I was definitely scared of finding a discarded gun.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:22 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 7:22 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
I do a bit of magnet fishing and the risk (chance?) of finding weapons is vastly overstated, in my experience. I mostly find old railroad spikes, bottle caps, fishing hooks, and barrettes. Occasionally I'll find a mysterious tool or industrial-looking item that's rusted into oblivion.
I do live pretty far into the interior of North America, and that's a very different "finding random munitions in waterways" environment than anywhere that saw active armed conflict in the last 150 years. While I'm very comfortable going out and fishing by myself here, I think I'd want to do it with at least a friend or two in the UK, in case of finding something very spicy. I'm not sure I'd enjoy magnet fishing as a group hobby instead of an excuse to go hang out near water by myself, listen to ducks, and not look at my phone. We apes are very good at making complicated social situations, as evidenced in this piece.
posted by yomimono at 8:13 AM on March 12 [4 favorites]
I do live pretty far into the interior of North America, and that's a very different "finding random munitions in waterways" environment than anywhere that saw active armed conflict in the last 150 years. While I'm very comfortable going out and fishing by myself here, I think I'd want to do it with at least a friend or two in the UK, in case of finding something very spicy. I'm not sure I'd enjoy magnet fishing as a group hobby instead of an excuse to go hang out near water by myself, listen to ducks, and not look at my phone. We apes are very good at making complicated social situations, as evidenced in this piece.
posted by yomimono at 8:13 AM on March 12 [4 favorites]
The last time I was going to the river to pull out another scooter, there was a commercial dredging crew there scouting the waterfront; the next week, they arrived with two barges and an endless-seeming waste conduit.
They laughed and said that they mostly pulled out shopping carts, rental bikes/scooters, and guns. They would remove the big stuff ahead of the intake hose, but smaller stuff just got hovered up and expelled at the other end!
Guns impossible? Not at all: this is Rhode Island.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:46 AM on March 12 [3 favorites]
They laughed and said that they mostly pulled out shopping carts, rental bikes/scooters, and guns. They would remove the big stuff ahead of the intake hose, but smaller stuff just got hovered up and expelled at the other end!
Guns impossible? Not at all: this is Rhode Island.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:46 AM on March 12 [3 favorites]
Magnet fishing is supposed to be a wholesome hobby. Why all the beef?
Magnetic beef?? Unwholesome indeed...
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:04 AM on March 12 [4 favorites]
Magnetic beef?? Unwholesome indeed...
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:04 AM on March 12 [4 favorites]
The Criminal podcast had an episode on this stuff recently, based on these folks.
posted by gottabefunky at 9:26 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
posted by gottabefunky at 9:26 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
(spoiler: they found a safe full of cash in NYC)
posted by gottabefunky at 9:26 AM on March 12 [2 favorites]
posted by gottabefunky at 9:26 AM on March 12 [2 favorites]
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posted by BobTheScientist at 2:06 AM on March 12 [8 favorites]