Falkirk’s Rotating Boat Lift (aka Falkirk Wheel)

Oh, ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I’ll tak’ the low road,:

And I’ll get to Scotland afore ye;

Those lyrics from the old Scottish tune Bonnie Banks O’ Loch Lomond came to mind when we visited the Falkirk Wheel in central Scotland.

Aside: Yes, I do realize we are not on the banks of Loch Lomand but we are not that far away. Loch Lomand begins about 14 miles north of Glasgow and Falkirk is about half way between Glasgow and Edinburgh…so you see it practically is in the same neighbourhood…right? Well, at least in the same general area.

But I digress.

The high road and the low road connection. What would you do if you were traveling on a canal and that canal came to an abrupt end because there was a huge drop (about 35 meters) down to the next canal?

How would you get down to the lower elevation? Portage? Build locks? Turn around and go back?

That was the predicament faced by travelers on the Union Canal as there is a drop about the height of an eight story building down to the Forth & Clyde Canal.

Originally there were locks but by the 1930s they were no longer usable and were filled in.

As a millennium project it was decided to reconnect the two canals and in 2002 this engineering feat came to fruition. The Falkirk Wheel was opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

So how does it work?

Boats on the upper canal still have to use a series of locks to get down the 11 meter to arrive at the aqueduct which brings them to the top of the wheel.

Boats enter big water filled boxes (gondolas) at the top and at the bottom of the wheel.

And then the wheel begins to slowly turn.

And turn…And turn…

Until the bottom gondola is now at the top and the top gondola is now at the bottom.Then the boat can come out…And be on its way.

The high road has now become the low road.

Only here in Scotland!

Getting to the Falkirk Wheel

Go to Visit Scotland’s webpage. Click here.

To travel to other spots in Scotland…click here.

To travel to other parts of the world…click here.

Happy travels!