The Falkirk Wheel

In case you haven't figured this out already, I post links to YouTube when I can't think of anything about which to write. Sorry, but I really do lead a dull life.

Anyway, the Scottish football season ended last week and my team, Falkirk FC managed to avoid relegation from the Scottish Premier League by the skin of their teeth. You might think I'm setting my goals rather low if that's something to celebrate but if you'd seen their position in the league table just a few weeks ago, it's nothing short of miraculous. Even better, in the last game of the year, they played the league champions off the field in the Scottish Cup Final before valiantly, albeit predictably, getting beaten.

So, in honor of Falkirk Football Club, here's a video of Falkirk's most famous (OK, pretty much only) local landmark, The Falkirk Wheel.

The what? Well, it's the world's largest boat lift and it allows boats to be hoisted from a canal to another 24 metres (79 ft) above it. This is roughly equivalent to the height of an eight story building. Wikipedia explains it better than I can.

The Falkirk Wheel

So here's the thing in action. It's a very, very cool piece of engineering.