I’m on the Rick Steves tour in August but it doesn’t appear to stop at Falkirk. Is it worth it to make a special trip?
Posted by
Wisconsin
146 posts
Yes! I was with a group of three and we went with Tartan Tours and the guide Stewart Gunn. We visited the Falkirk wheel and the Kelpies. I would not miss the kelpies! He also made an extra stop at a section of the Antonine Wall. He was a fantastic guide and I believe he does tours from Edinburgh or Glasgow.
https://www.tartantoursscotland.co.uk/
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2525 posts
The Falkirk wheel is amazing and an example of C21st engineering at its best. It is the world’s first and only rotating boat lift, built to connect the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Union Canal. When originally built, 11 locks connected the two canals. When the canals were no longer needed for transport, the locks fell into disrpair and part were built over by the M8. With the resurgence in interest in the canals for leisure use in the 1990s, there was a massive project to restore both canals and ininstate the link. (The Union Canal is 115ft above the Forth and Clyde.)
The total budget came to over £84 million which included restoring both canals, the rotating lift with an aqueduct and tunnel connected the two. Visually it is stunning (and the 30 minute ride is pretty impressive too.) There's lots more information about the history and how it works in this video.
Linked with the Kelpies, this makes a very well worth white (and different) day out. It is definitley worth a special trip. (Also Rough Castle on the Antonine wall can be reached on foot from the Falkirk Wheel....)
