The second attraction in Falkirk is the Falkirk Wheel, an amazing feat of engineering and only a little over 6km from the Kelpies. So we decided that our bodies would go into withdrawal if we didn’t do some serious walking today. It was actually a lovely walk along the towpath beside the canal. Our hotel kindly let us leave our bags there,
The world’s only rotating boat lift, The Falkirk Wheel links the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Union Canal 35 metres above, allowing vessels to sail through the sky thanks to a unique fusion of art and engineering – and the same power it would take to boil eight kettles.
Transforming the contaminated site of a former tar works, The Falkirk Wheel opened in 2002 and replaced a flight of 11 locks that once stepped the Union Canal down to the level of the Forth & Clyde, more than 100 feet below. Whereas weary travellers once had a day’s heavy work opening and closing 44 lock gates to complete the journey between the two canals, The Falkirk Wheel allows vessels to transit between the two waterways in just a few minutes.
We decided we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give it a go. It is a very smooth ride and surprisingly fast! You get a good view of the countryside from up above (well, you would if it wasn’t a mizzly day like today)! We chose to grab a bite at the cafe there before making the return trip along the towpath.
After collecting our luggage we headed over to catch the bus into Falkirk to catch a train into Edinburgh. It was a pretty smooth process, and it turned out our hotel was right by the train stop at Edinburgh Park. The tram also stops there, so we can catch that into Edinburgh tomorrow and then out to the airport after that.
There is a shopping centre right near the hotel so we ventured over there for a look-see and picked up a few grocs to nibble on tomorrow. Unfortunately there’s no restaurant except for the one in the hotel, so guess they have a captive audience. Not the most sumptuous meal we’ve had on this trip, but it filled the gap.