Check out the Falkirk Wheel to know how.
Located in the Forth valley in Central Scotland at a leisurely drive of 24 miles from Edinburgh, the Falkirk wheel connects the Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It consists of two huge tubs hanging from a giant wheel, one containing a boat floating in water, and the other just full of water. Laws of physics dictate that both tubs will weigh the same, so that the wheel can be rotated with very little power.
You can take a trip up this wheel by getting into a boat from the lower canal. As the wheel turns you slowly rise taking in the fantastic views of the landscape as far as the Kelpies at a distance. When you are up, the boat moves into the upper canal from the tub. A short ride of about 5 minutes, and the boat returns to the tub to go down again.
The Falkirk wheel is an unusually clever piece of engineering! The canals were originally linked by a flight of 11 locks that took several hours to negotiate. Today, this marvel lifts the boats to bridge that gap in just 15 minutes!
It is well worth a visit to get the full Falkirk Wheel experience – see this giant wheel in action and take the awesome boat ride!
A Side Trip: The Kelpies
Located just 5 miles and a 15-minute drive from Falkirk Wheel are the Kelpies – totally worth a visit.
The Kelpies are basically two gigantic horse head statues in the Helix on the Forth & Clyde canal in Falkirk. These were built by Andy Scott, a famous sculptor from Glasgow in 2013.
As per Scottish folklore, a kelpie is a dangerous water creature that can change its shape and appear as a horse to entice humans to ride on it and take them to a watery grave.
At 30 meters high, these steel horse heads are the largest equine sculptures in the world.
Things to do at the Kelpies
– Admire the huge horse head statues and take pictures.
– Walk along the scenic canal tow paths
– Cycle along the cycle routes
– Visit the café and enjoy the views while sipping your coffee.
– And yes, if you would like to go inside the Kelpies, you need to go with a guide booked online or through the visitor’s centre.
Enjoy the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies and make it a full day trip while at Falkirk!
Awesome!! I would love to take that ride some day. Hoping soon!!
That’s a marvellous piece of engineering. I would like to experience the boat ride. It’s really impressive how the wheel saves time overall.
Never knew these existed. I would certainly prefer that ride. My favorite is the equine heads!
What a great piece of engineering! We passed by Falkirk on our daytrip to the Highlands, but did not see the wheel. Guess that gives us a reason to return to Scotland!
This is amazing! I love smart design and clever engineering like this! I must see this when I go to Scotland 🙂
How interesting! It’s amazing how much time the wheel saves, and it’s based on such a simple concept. I’d love to see this and take the boat ride myself.
What a bizarre bit of architecture, but very clever. Canals were such an integral part to this country’s history, and the engineering and building feats they achieved were not only necessary, but really innovative. Can you imagine the drawing the architects did of this, and how many doubters there must have been?
I would love to take a ride in this awesome wheel! Simple and amazing. There’s simply more to Scotland than Edinburgh.
The engineer in me just stared at this interesting piece of machinery. And quite beautiful too. We have seen a lot of different lock designs in our travels. But this may be one of the most unique. Great to watch even if not in a boat.
Wow, that’s incredible! I can’t imagine trying to navigate the canal before they put the wheel in, what a process. It’s amazing how much that one piece of machinery is able to accomplish.
Incredibly amazing — I would love to see this engineering feat in person!
that is fascinating, I’ve never seen anything like the Falkirk wheel and that is really something to witness. I would love to actually be on is and see what all the views look like from different levels and see the views from above.
This is such an interesting locking system, and also is the Scottish folklore. The understanding of what a kelpie is, I wonder how many people believe that it can change its shape.
These are two attractions in Scotland I’d never heard about but would love to see. With 11 locks replaced by the Falkirk wheel, I can see why this would be so much more efficient. It’s a very cool engineering feat! And I just love Scottish folklore. I would definitely want to get a look at the Welkies and explore the surrounding area – on foot or bicycle though, not to be tricked into riding the horses. Thank for tipping me off!
When I viewed the first image, I was puzzled! The Falkirk Wheel is something I’ve never heard of before. I’m interested in taking this incredible 5-minute boat ride. Thanks to a one-of-a-kind fusion of art and engineering, I’ll surely snap photos of the massive horse head sculptures as well.
Wow! I did not realize that there are so many things to do at the Kelpies. Those huge horse head statues are fascinating. Thank you for the heads up on booking a guide online. Looking forward to visiting soon.
Indeed a fascinating piece of engineering. I would definitely be up for a ride on this one. The whole act of moving from a boat to the wheel and back to a boat is so interesting and adventurous. I sure am impressed by the legend of the Kelpies. I so hope that I get a chance to experience it first hand.
That is so cool that you can see the kelpies when you are at the top. I didn’t know about their folklore and the superstition of them being shape shifters. But in Scotland they have some amazing local myths and folklore.