The Falkirk Wheel

Autumn Adventure - Day 3

After a good nights sleep in the car park of the Kelpies Visitor centre (along with 38 other campervans and motorhomes!), I went to the first tour of the day, which took place INSIDE one of the Kelpies! It was a short tour but extremely interesting! (See first Extra photo.)

My next stop today was only 4 miles away to the Falkirk Wheel which is the first and only rotating boat-lift in the world! It links the Forth & Clyde canal with the Union canal 35 feet above. It’s an amazing bit of engineering (and art!), and it replaced a time-consuming flight of 11 locks. The wheel lifts and lowers boats in about 5 minutes, and only uses the amount of power it would take to boil 8 kettles! I’ve been wanting to see this wheel for a very long time. When it opened in 2002 it was never meant to be a tourist attraction, but so many people came from all over the world to see it that they soon made it into one! Now 500,000 visitors come each year, making it one of Scotland’s busiest tourist attractions.

I took one of the boat tours - we were lifted up to the top, had a short jaunt along the canal, went through a tunnel, and then turned around and went back. There were beautiful views at the top. I also followed another tour along the same short route to take pictures. I loved the whole experience!

By mid afternoon I moved on to my next campsite, almost in the middle of nearby Edinburgh. I met up with a friend in the evening who lives nearby. We went out for dinner at the members only Scotch Malt Whisky Society. No whisky was consumed, but I had a very delicious plate of haggis with ‘neeps’ (swede/turnip, or rutabaga for the Americans), and ‘tatties’ (mashed potato). Delicious it was too! I love haggis, and I’m sure this was only the first of many haggis meals during this trip.

After dinner we went to an organ recital at St Mary’s Cathedral. A very enjoyable evening of food and music. Who says you can’t combine camping with a city-break and great culture? (See second Extra photo)