Falkirk Wheel
Falkirk Wheel
The Falkirk Wheel is one of Scotland's top tourist destinations and attracts visitors from all across the World.
A major challenge faced, was to link the Forth and Clyde Canal, which lay 35m (115ft) below the level of the Union Canal. Historically, the two canals had been joined at Falkirk by a flight of 11 locks that stepped down across a distance of 1.5km, but these were dismantled in 1933, breaking the link.
What was required was a method of connecting these two canals by way of a boat lift. British Waterways (now Scottish Canals) were keen to present a visionary solution taking full advantage of the opportunity to create a truly spectacular and fitting structure that would suitably commemorate the Millennium and act as an iconic symbol for years to come.
Education
The Falkirk Wheel offers a high quality, tailored education programme for a fantastic educational day out.
Each programme includes a 50 minute boat trip, followed by one of four 30-40 minute workshops, which have been specifically designed for primary children, and to link in with different Curriculum For Excellence experiences and outcomes. When you are booking please let us know which workshop you would like take part in.
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Shaping the landscape
A look at the local history of the area and how changes in industry have altered the geography...
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Build a canal
Uses a simple interactive sandbox to show children how and why canals were built...
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Taking care of our World
Investigate what we need to protect around The Falkirk Wheel including local habitats and organisms...
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Building structures
Explore the incredible innovation that is The Falkirk Wheel...
Impress your friends and relatives with some of these facts about The Wheel:
- The Falkirk Wheel is 35 metres tall, the equivalent of 8 double deckers buses stacked on top of each other
- Cost £17.5 million to build
- 1,200 tonnes of steel was used to create The Wheel
- The structure contains over 14,000 bolts and 45,000 bolt holes
- Over 1,000 construction staff helped to build it
- The gondolas hold 500,000 litres of water, enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool
- The Wheel only uses 1.5kWh of energy to turn, the same amount as it would take to boil 8 household kettles