THE FALKIRK WHEEL & Canal Walk
Bill Reid
On Monday 13th of April 2009 while staying in Glasgow I had a visit to the Falkirk Wheel. I caught the Glasgow-Edinburgh train from Queen Street Station and got off
at Falkirk High station. As it turned out this was the closer of the two stations in Falkirk. The other station is Falkirk Grahamston.There is a 15 minute service between
Glasgow and Edinburgh.However you can catch a bus from either station to the Wheel but as it was a Bank holiday and the station staff didn't know when the next bus would be I decided to
walk it. It is just over two miles and follows the Union canal all the way to the Lock that takes you below the railway and up to wheel site. It's quite a pleasant walk and
while it was'nt very bright it was dry and quite warm for April. The path leads from the south side of the station platform up to the start of the walk along the canal.The Falkirk Wheel has a good 100ft drop from the Union Canal and with a further drop by another Lock to the Forth & Clyde Canal. It is also interesting that the
leading Lock allows a right angle turn from the Union Canal to the Forth & Clyde Canal.
A four car Class 170 diesel unit for Glasgow at Falkirk
High
A commemorative cast iron statue on the Up
platform.
The direction post as you meet the Union Canal path
The Union Canal Tunnel leading back towards Edinburgh
The canal path overlooks Falkirk. View looking eastwards
The canal path overlooks Falkirk. View looking north
westwards
An over bridge along the canal
In the Summer months canal cruises are run from this boat
station
A splitting point on the canal
A cannuist enjoys an early morning paddle
You follow the railway all the way. A Class 170 Unit has
just left Falkirk High and is heading for Glasgow
While you are close to the outskirts of Falkirk it can feel
very country like on the canal walk
Just when you think the walk will never end you suddenly
come up to the final Lock before the short walk to the Wheel.
Quite large craft use the canal
"Black Grouse" A cruising barge
The lock still shows it's newness
The drop down to the holding pool where the canal does a
right angle turn and goes under the railway on the right
A time jump! Taken from the visitor's boat during the short
cruise
The tunnel under the railway
The canal tunnel below the railway. It is heavily lined
with cement blasting. It holds up the railway and the
historical Antonine Wall
The first sighting of the Falkirk Wheel and the end of the
Canal. It's hard to believe that a steel hydraulically controlled
wall is all that there is holding back all that water
Another time jump. On the return walk. A visitors boat
exits the tunnel on the short cruise up to the Lock
and returning to the Wheel. The Antonine Walk is close by above the
tunnel and also Roman Fort remains.
You can easily take these sites in during a visit to the Wheel.
The holding pool with the boat about to enter the Falkirk
Wheel Gondola
The arches repeat the design of the Wheel as boats enter
and exit the Gondola at the end of the Lock
The Falkirk Wheel at the end of the Canal .
This gives you a good sense of scale and
height with the visitor's building and boats below and the Forth
Valley stretching
to the distance