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The boatyard is ten minutes’ drive from the railway station. When you reach the boat yard you will see the Falkirk Wheel, a gigantic silver construction, rising in front of the hillside.
When the restoration of the Union Canal was completed, the connection between it and the Forth and Clyde Canal, was without locks. Called the “Contour Canal”, the Union Canal used to connect with the Forth & Clyde Canal through 11 locks. When the restoration plan was announced, however, they decided to use a boat lift instead of locks.
As a boat lift, the Anderton Boat Lift was restored for use some years ago, but its mechanism was simply to lift boats vertically. On the other hand, the new lift, the Falkirk Wheel, brings the boat up or down in a circular movement.
On arrival at Falkirk, I found not only the Wheel, but also the Visitor Centre, which offers boat trips.
A boat, using the Wheel, goes into one of two tanks filled with water. The two tanks are symmetrically balanced. When a boat is moored inside a tank, the wheel rotates anticlockwise, raising both tank and boat. Despite weighing some 500 tonnes, with water and boat, the wheel consumes only 1.5kw of electricity per cycle, taking about four-and-a-half minutes to complete the lift (or descent).
We booked the wheel as we left the base, so that we waited only for a short time. After we passed the lock in front of the basin, we went straight into the tank behind the trip boat. We tied up our boats to the bollard inside the tank, then barriers rose separating the tank from the basin. The tank then began to move upwards. It was only a five minute trip to the top, but it was a great and extraordinary experience.
Navigation Notes on the Union Canal
The Union Canal, which had not been popular for boaters, was opened 2 years ago and connected with the other canal; the Forth & Clyde. These two canals are different from those of England in some ways.
As I mentioned, earlier a booking for the Wheel is essential, so it is recommended to phone the base prior to your arrival. The Union canal has much picturesque architecture, like the Avon Aqueduct for example. We found, however, some difficulty on this canal. Some water points did not exist, although they were plotted on the navigation map.
Visitor Moorings were not enough, and mooring on banks was not comfortable because the canal was often too shallow, and the boat rested on the bottom. We did not find any restaurants or provisions until we arrived in Linlithgow, which has a big supermarket as well as restaurants and pubs, thus it is recommended to prepare some food before you board.
Although you may find a little inconvenience, as was described, you can cruise without any licenses on the Union Canal, just as English canals, although it will give you a quite different and exciting experience which I recommend.
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