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Ratho
Booking Information
Cruise Bookings
Telephone: 0131 335 3318
Email: rathobookings@seagulltrustcruises.org.uk- RATHO: Based near the Bridge Inn in Ratho. Most of the passengers come from Edinburgh and its surroundings as well as from the Borders
The Rev. Hugh Mackay, who was the Founder of the Seagull Trust, was looking for somewhere to cruise that preferably had a canal boat infrastructure in place. He found this at the Edinburgh Canal Centre in Ratho which had already started a canal boat restaurant operation some five years before. They were only too pleased to assist the fledgling Seagull Trust. The Ratho Branch is, therefore, the original branch of the Seagull Trust and it was here that the first cruise for disabled people took place in 1979.
The first Seagull Trust canal boat “St. John Crusader”, was presented to the Trust by the Order of St. John and in 1979, her first year of operation, she carried 470 passengers. Now over 7000 people a year come to enjoy the pleasures of canal cruising from the Seagull Trust Reception Centre at the Edinburgh Canal Centre in Ratho.
The second boat owned and operated by the Ratho Branch was the Janet Telford, a slightly smaller boat built for the Branch by the students at Telford College. After operating successfully for several years she was replaced by the Mackay Seagull.
In 1996, The Order of St. John generously provided a new boat to replace the St John Crusader, the St. John Crusader II. Each year the Order gives substantial financial support towards the running costs of the Branch.
For some 14 years the Ratho Branch used the facilities of the Edinburgh Canal Centre at the Bridge Inn, Ratho.
Location
- The Branch is located beside the Union Canal, just west of Edinburgh, and based near The Bridge Inn whose address is: Canal Side, 27 Baird Road, Ratho, Newbridge, EH28 8RA
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To use the branch map: Click on the blue icon for address details. Double click the icon to centre map on that location. Use arrows and + / - in top righthand corner to navigate map
Our Boat(s)
The Mackay Seagull
In 1986 the “Mackay Seagull” (named after our Founder, and built by the apprentices of Cammel Laird in Liverpool) joined the fleet at Ratho to double the cruising capacity at Ratho and serve the numerous hospitals, care centres and homes in the Edinburgh area.
St. John Crusader II
In 1996, The Order of St. John generously provided a new replacement boat; St. John Crusader II and each year give substantial financial support towards the running costs.
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St John Edinburgh
The new ‘St John Edinburgh’ was launched in June 2011. Thanks to a major donation from the Order of St John and a bequest from Peter Turnbull, Ratho is now able to provide even more cruise options.
Downloadable Information
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