Day 32: Falkirk Wheel

July 16, 2015

I've been waiting for this day since the start of the trip. Today we took a day off to visit the Falkirk wheel.

The Falkirk Wheel is an outrageously cool contraption that is used instead of locks to lift and lower canal boats 35 meters (115 feet) from one canal to another. Before the 1930's the there were a series of locks that would take all day to navigate, from top to bottom or of the other way around.

The locks were then closed for decades and, in the 1999 construction began on the wheel.

Here are a couple of videos on the wheel that explain them in better detail than I ever could....

So, we took a day off and took a ride on the wheel. Or, more accurately, took a ride on a boat that took a ride on the wheel. You know what I mean.

Anyway, it is an impressive piece of engineering. I first say the Falkirk wheel in one my classes. I show videos on different engineering fields and there is a short video clip on the Falkirk wheel. So when I found out that the wheel was in Scotland, I told Leo he had to fit it in somehow. Of course he did, since he's that kind of guy.

Here are some pics...

Okay, I cheated. This isn't really my picture. It's a picture of a picture that was hanging in the cafe next to the wheel. I plagiarized I suppose. But if we don't tell anyone I think it will be okay?

View from the top, floating down the top canal.

Down the canal on top, where we would turn around and go back to the wheel.

Returning back to the wheel through a tunnel.

Two canal boats on one side with a view of the gears.

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