Detail of the Falkirk Wheel

The Falkirk Wheel which opened in 2002 is a rotating boat lift connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The two canals were previously connected by a series of 11 locks, but by the 1930s these had fallen into disuse.

The difference in height of the two canals at the wheel is 79 ft, the height of an eight-storey building.

The wheel has an overall diameter of 115 ft and consists of two arms which extend 15 metres beyond the central axle. Despite its size it rotates through 180° in five-and-a-half minutes.

The wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and is regarded a feat of Scottish engineering.

This blip shows detail of the arms with the constructed Union Canal extension visable through the circular holes.

I'll be back for a trip on it very soon.