I have been looking forward to today since I booked in the tour. I know it seems silly, day one in Edinburgh and I'm heading to the train station to leave town but this is absolutely worth the trip. I had made sure to grab my tickets for all my train journeys last night (because you have to take your booking to a machine and get the tickets printed, so I figured best be organised) so it wasn't too early of a start. And in other good news, all my wet clothes from yesterday had dried overnight, so that's a big win. I had hand washed my jeans last night and discovered that despite them being pants I have worn many timed to work, there was blue dye EVERYWHERE. They were still drying, because I didn't want to turn hotel towels blue - but they'll be fine, I hope.
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The view from the window of my hotel - great weather huh?
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Breakfast in the hotel lobby was whelming - not significantly different to my experience in London. The biggest struggle was finding a spot to sit as it was quite busy. But once I was fed and watered it was off to the train station to head to Falkirk. I made it to the trains really early, but because of the ticket I had booked, it didn't matter which train I actually caught so I was able to get onto the earlier train that I had planned. No problem being early, means I can mosey around.
It was a classic Scottish day - grey. The train trip itself wasn't much to write home about, although passing through Linlithgow I did think of where I used to live in Australia - the weather gave it a very similar vibe. Getting off at Falkirk, the weather had not improved. If this is summer, no wonder people from the UK move to Australia for the weather. I had been made aware that today was UK Father's Day, so I had expected it to be a lot busier than what it was. But perhaps it would pick up later.
My first challenge of the day was catching a bus. I hate buses as public transport as a tourist because they're so much harder to figure out where to get off, when to get off and how to get tickets. There were roadworks which google maps didn't know about, so figuring out whether the bus was actually able to access that stop, or where it was detouring was a bit stressful, so I hiked a little bit up the road to another stop further away from the train station to be sure. The website told me the buses were cheaper to buy a day saver pass, which would also come in handy later with my grand plans, and fortunately, you bought your ticket on their phone app so I didn't need to fumble with change or hope my card worked.
Falkirk reminds me of the country town. The quaint little shops (like Frox of Falkirk), the quietness, and also the way the bus driver has conversations with passengers like she knows all of them. The bus stop feels like it's in the middle of no where, opposite whole bunch of car yards and in front of some houses. Hardly the stop you'd expect to get off for a grand tour attraction. The path is long and winding, and I'm grateful to have my umbrella to keep the misty rain off me. Still haven't really seen anyone, except the occasional dog walker, as the path winds through houses and across open parks. Just on the horizon, peeping over the buildings, my goal appeared.
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There it is - on the horizon
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I was really early arriving at the wheel. It was hard to know if I could even enter the area. After a while of looking at the channels nearby and reading the signs, I decided to go take some photos of the wheel in operation. It's exceptionally quiet - if you're not watching you wouldn't realise it had moved. With so much time to kill, I had plenty of time to browse their gift shop. There were some fantastic photos of the wheel lit up, and it would be nice to stay to take my own pictures - but summer keeps the sun up until 10pm and that's not really practical for getting back to my hotel in Edinburgh. Another time perhaps.
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The wheel in motion - so smooth and quiet - from the other side of a lock
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An artsier shot on my Fujifilm X100V of the wheel at rest
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In comparison to my previous days, today was really relaxing. I only had tours here at the wheel booked, so not an enourmous about of walking or adventuring. Within their tourist center in a cafe, so I enjoyed a scone with jam and cream for morning tea (because one should) and read all of the information of the history of the wheel and how it was made. All of this before finally having my turn to get onto the boat and taking the wheel up to the top, sailing through the tunnel and then turning around and heading back down.
The wheel itself is incredible. When you sail into the lock you have to wait for the system to set up and the water to balance. So whilst that happens, the captain is giving a spiel on the history of the wheel and Falkirk and the historical value of the Scottish Canals. However, what do you don't realise is that the wheel has started rotating. The movement is so smooth and so quiet that both on the way up and down, I didn't realise we were moving until I looked out the window halfway through. Unfortunately, due to the wet weather, the windows had fogged up so we all had to politely queue to get photos out the bow of the boat. But I think I captured a little bit of magic, so I am pretty happy.
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Out of the bow of the boat, looking through the wheel across Falkirk as we approach to descend
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After getting back on dry land, I enjoyed a baked potato with roast vegetables for lunch. And what a potato! It was absolutely massive. And the view of the wheel from my lunch spot was delightful. No point going far, because my next adventure was what I have been so excited for - the Behind the Wheel tour.
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I'm not a food blogger - but the potato needed to be seen to be believed
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This tour is so new, we were only the second group of people to do it. Starting our tour in their meeting room, the presenters gave us some Lego to build our own solution to the problem - how do you sail a boat 24 meters uphill? The group we had was interesting - a family of Americans who had one of their sons studying engineering, some older gentlemen who were locals and had been involved with the community consultation during the development of the wheel, and myself - a mechanical engineer doing her very best to not completely nerd out. After the presentation and lego project, we were taken into the control room to watch the workers in action activate the wheel, before donning high vis and helmets to head into the wheel itself.
The tour itself covers three levels of the inside of the wheel, allowing us to see the inner workings, including the gears and also to head down the main shaft of the wheel to see the view of Falkirk. We were shown some of the unique features of the wheel - such as the ease nut system that allows maintenance to check the bearings without pulling apart the delicate systems and risking contamination. Our biggest challenge was to not
accidentally hit an emergency stop button. Those big red buttons are
carefully placed for easy access - which also makes them easy to bump
into when a group is in the room. As someone who has relatively recently
started in hydraulics, it was very cool to be able to see some systems
in location and operational. In fact, I was actually somewhat useful.
Throughout the tour, our guides had told us if there were any questions
that were technical, they could message the engineers (as our guides
were professional communicators, not technical workers for the wheel).
One of our group were asking about the desiccant breather valve and what
it was for - and I knew! The guides confirmed with the engineers, but I
was right and that felt really reassuring that I am actually learning
my job and getting something out of it.
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How the wheel works - it uses the same amount of electrical power as an electric kettle
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Computer system showing the wheel as it is in motion
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| Me and one of the small gears connecting the center to the boat gondolas |
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The wheel in motion as seen from walking down the hill
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Our tour concluded out the top of the wheel, where we learned about the community impact of the wheel and the awards the wheel has received for its design. Finally, we returned back to where we started and were treated to biscuits and scones, as well as some goodies from the gift shop (including the keying I was eyeing off that spins just like the wheel.) It was a fantastic tour that was well worth the money and time to go see - even if you're not an engineer or a massive nerd like I am.
With a day return on my train, and an all day bus pass, even though it was late (3pm) and the Kelpies were on the other side of town - I had plenty of sunlight and time to get there. It took two buses - having to change at the train station in the centre of town - and I ignored the advice a local gave to a couple of other tourists heading out to the Kelpies and put my faith in google. My phone had me getting off a stop later and cutting through an industrial estate. Whilst elements of the walk were a little nerve wrecking (mostly finding the path out of the estate), I did get to see a lot of rabbits - heaps on every lawn out the front of every business.
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There were a lot of this guy's siblings and cousins around - I thought Australia was infested!
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The Kelpies themselves I don't find particularly exciting. They're certainly very large and impressive in scale, but they are just statues of horses (well, water spirits technically.) Unfortunately, the visitor center was closed, so I wasn't able to find out more about the structures. But I did enjoy a quiet lap with a few other tourists to take in the sculpture. I also got to see a family of swans (although I kept very clear of their nesting sites so as not to be chased by royal property.)
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The wet weather gave plenty of opportunities to reflect on things
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The sculptures are interesting to photograph, dynamic in their pose
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They look so pretty and peaceful - but I know they can be vicious
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With both icons of Falkirk completed, it was time to go back to Edinburgh. Whilst not the most touristy of places, it's well worth a visit to appreciate the engineering wonders that are there. Highly recommend going there for anyone. And with an easier day in the books, I'm well recovered and ready to go again in Edinburgh tomorrow.
