Falkirk Wheel is an enduring marvel of modern engineering – Scotsman comment

The world’s only turning boat lift is rightly popular, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year

Once boats travelling between the Union and Forth and Clyde canals had to spend a day navigating a total of 11 locks. However, in 2002, a simple idea to radically transform the journey became reality with the opening of a genuine marvel of modern engineering, the Falkirk Wheel.

When a boat enters one of the two giant gondolas, it displaces its weight in water so the structure remains balanced. Famously, this meant that it required the same amount of power as needed to boil just eight kettles to lift a canal boat 35 metres up into the air. A £2.7 million refurbishment project, due to be completed next month, will make it even more efficient.

Today it remains unique, as the only turning boat lift in the world, and one of Scotland’s most popular tourist attractions. While more than 3,500 canal boats use the Wheel each year, it also attracts some 500,000 visitors, eager to see a structure that blends form and function in a quite beautiful way.

Once upon a time, Scotland really could build great projects. In these troubled times, that’s worth remembering.