Falkirk Wheel celebrates its 10th anniversary

The Falkirk Wheel , opened by the Queen in 2002, has celebrated its 10th anniversary. The Wheel’s iconic design has attracted visitors from around the world and it has become one of Scotland’s most popular tourist attractions . Princess Anne travelled to the Wheel to join the celebrations that Scottish Canals, the public corporation which has taken over from British Waterways in Scotland, was inaugurated.The Wheel enables canal boats to transfer from the Union Canal to the Forth and Clyde Canal. Chairman Dr Jon Hargreaves said: “The Falkirk Wheel has made a great contribution to the image of Scotland and is now an intrinsic part of the Lowland canals and a perfect symbol of their renaissance and the broad economic, social and environmental public value they together deliver.” The proposal to reopen the Forth & Clyde and Union Canal first became a real possibility in the early 1990s but the question mark was how to join the two to create the Millennium Link – a canal network enabling travel from Edinburgh to Glasgow, while regenerating the communities along the waterways. Dr Hargreaves added: “When planning the Millennium Link, we wanted an extraordinary design which could become an icon affirming that the 18th century canal system is back and have an important role to play in travel in the 21st century. Transfers from Falkirk town centre take just five minutes and can be booked by phone on 07576-127097. Transfers can be arranged for the surrounding areas including Linlithgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Glasgow. View more Falkirk Wheel pictures