The Falkirk Wheel

On the second day of our trip we went to Scottish canals in Bathgate to take a Wooden Spoon Seagull to do the Falkirk Wheel with the students we have met on the morning at Bathgate Academy.

Established in 1983, Wooden Spoon is rugby’s charity which supports mentally and physically disadvantaged children and young people throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The charity, which currently has over 10,000 subscribing members, enjoys the patronage of a Royal Princess with four Home Rugby Unions and the Rugby League. The Princess Royal on July 6th 2012 decided to create the Wooden Spoon Seagull which will be moored at the Falkirk Wheel. The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat which connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. Named after the nearby town of Falkirk in central Scotland, the lift opened in 2002, reconnecting the two canals for the first time since the 1930s. The Falkirk Wheel is composed of a wheel of a diameter of 35 meters. There are two platforms (one at the bottom and another one at the top).

Our trip began in the basin outside The Falkirk Wheel Visitor Centre. Then, the boat sailed into the bottom platform of the Wheel and the ascent began ! It took approximately 15 minutes and we have been raised at around 24 meters. The boat sailed gently along the Union Canal before returning for a descent and come back into the basin. The trip lasted approximately one hour.

It is the tenth vessel in the Seagull Trust's fleet. Seagull Trust Cruises, which was founded in 1978, provides free cruises for around 25,000 passengers with special needs each year.

The Wooden Spoon Seagull, which will operate across the Scottish canals, can welcome 36 passengers and two members of crew. It is spacious, comfortable, fully heated and equipped with modern teaching aids and a full audio system to help ensure visiting. Moreover the boat can welcome disabled people thanks to their specialized equipment.

For us, this afternoon aboard the Wooden Spoon Seagull wasn’t what we had expected. First of all, it was raining. In consequence we couldn’t admire the landscape. Moreover, the trip wasn’t very funny because it was slow and didn’t have the impression of being raised in the air. However, in the boat we were able to move and exchange with the Scottish students.
To conclude it was a good place to speak with Scottish people but not to discover the Scottish nature.