The Falkirk Wheel is an impressive combination of art and engineering and has become an iconic Scottish landmark. It’s the only one of its kind in the world with its unique rotating design.
A Fusion of Art and Engineering
The wheel takes the place of 14 locks that previously connected the Union Canal to the Forth & Clyde Canal, which is over 100 feet below. The Wheel enables boats to move between the two canals quickly, rather than the lengthy process of opening and closing 44 lock gates that were necessary in the past.
The Falkirk Wheel Its gondolas can carry up to eight boats at once, with each containing 300 tonnes of water. Despite its impressive size, the Wheel only uses 1.5 kWh of energy for each rotation, which is equivalent to the power used by eight domestic kettles.
Falkirk Wheel Visitor Centre
The Millennium Link Project
The wheel is the main attraction of the Millennium Link project, which aimed to restore coast-to-coast navigation on Scotland’s canals after 40 years.
The project had a total budget of £84.5 million and involved refurbishing the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Union Canal. This included significant work on bridges, locks, and stretches of the canals that had been filled in due to housing development.
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