The Falkirk Wheel

 My stepfather Dean had sent me a link a long time ago about the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland.  It is one of the most outlandish feats of engineering I'd ever seen, and I vowed that if ever I were going to Scotland again, I would try to see it. 

 It turns out that it is just outside Edinburgh, and on our way from Edinburgh to Inverness, we made a point of stopping to see it.

Rotating 180 degrees in about 15 minutes, it basically lifts a boat from one body of water to a canal about 30 feet above it.  This replaces the 11 locks and half day originally needed to accomplish this change in elevation.

 It was fun to watch the canal and tour boats go into the wheel and rotate to the connecting canal above.









There are burger and ice cream stands set up at the visitors center, so we decided to have a quick food bite with some appropriately Scottish themed crisps (chips).

For all my fellow techno-geeks, this is a must stop on a UK tour.