Falkirk Wheel
This is unique and a site well worth taking time to visit. It is the world’s only rotating boat lift. The Falkirk Wheel connects the Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The canals are at different levels, so in order to allow a boat to travel on, it enters the wheel, which does a half-turn in five minutes, allowing the boat to continue its journey.
There is a visitor centre which has all the details of how this feat of engineering came about and the mechanics behind it. If you like you can pay to go on a boat and experience being lifted up, sailing a short way, then returning back down the same way you came. As one gondola rises, the other descends, maintaining perfect balance and keeping the boat level. The distance lifted is 35 metres and according to their website, uses the same power as boiling 8 kettles. Opened in 2002, it replaced a day’s labour and 44 locks which was needed to move a boat from one canal to the other.
I have gone up in the boat which is a lot of fun. I note there is an expensive tour of the wheel itself which takes two and a half hours and involves ladders. Check the website for details. It’s on my list of things to do, but I’ve just checked and it’s pricey. Mind you, I know of some bands which will charge a similar amount so I suppose on balance it’s no more expensive than a big name gig at the Hydro in Glasgow.
You can hire boats, bikes, go for walks, fish, and try your hand at archery. There is a lot going on and if you find yourself in the area I can thoroughly recommend it.
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