Scotland Day Five: The Falkirk Wheel

Notice the orange tour boat about to be lifted.

Our day started, as it did yesterday, with the hotel breakfast buffet and a visit from Mary the cat. The lady on the front desk told me they have some repeat guests who specifically book ground-floor rooms so they can visit with Mary. They bring her treats and toys, and even let her in their room.

After checking out, we drove to Falkirk to see the Falkirk Wheel — a rotating boat lift that connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It’s an engineering marvel with an ingenious design, completed in 2002 as part of an ambitious project to restore Scotland’s historic canal system. The wheel raises boats by 24 metres (79 ft). The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world.

We boarded the Archimedes, one of two tour boats that take visitors through the lift and up to the aqueduct, then back again. It’s interesting that you don’t really get a sensation of moving — it goes quite slowly, your boat is still floating in water, and you are always level.

It was a cloudy day, but when the visibility is better, I’m sure the view from the top of the lift is spectacular.

After completing the tour, we had tea and cake in the café, then walked one of the trails that leads to the Rough Castle Fort, a Roman fort on the Antonine Wall. It was a damp and wind-blown hike, but well worth it.

The Antonine Wall was built around 143 AD and marked the farthest frontier of the Roman Empire. The wall (mostly an earthwork) stretched across the narrowest part of Scotland from Bo'ness on the River Forth to Old Kilpatrick on the River Clyde. The fort is the best preserved of the 19 forts constructed along the length of the Wall. Built against the southern rear face of the Wall, the fort was defended by six-metre thick turf ramparts and surrounded by defensive ditches.

Orange tour boat seen from above, making its way up to the aqueduct

Lilias -- defensive pits that once contained sharpened stakes

A feature of the defences at the fort is a series of pits lying to the north west of the causeway across the Antonine ditch. These pits, known as lilias, would originally have contained sharpened stakes at the bottom. The lilias were positioned to help defend the vulnerable northern gateway through the Wall. 

Next, we drove to Stirling and checked into the Coralinn Bed & Breakfast. After settling in, we identified a nearby restaurant and set out on foot. That’s when the rain started in earnest. And the wind. We were soaked in no time. To make matters worse, we couldn’t find the place, despite the fact that its address is on the same street as our accommodations.

So we gave up and ducked into a pub, only to find that they don’t serve food. They told us how to get to the restaurant (which is set back from the street and easily missed), gave us a cloth to dry our heads, and even loaned us an umbrella.

The Hollybank Restaurant was great — we had a very nice meal, and I continued my quest for the ultimate haggis. This one was battered haggis-stuffed chicken goujons, served with a pepper cream sauce. They were light, delicate, and delightful.

The rain had slowed down by the time dinner was over, but we were still damp and chilled. I decided to have a shower -- another opportunity to navigate the intricacies of Scottish plumbing!