So this one’s a bit novel. Not least because I’m writing the blog entry on the same day that I took the photographs, as opposed to several months later like most other ones.
Today was a trip inside the Falkirk Wheel. It’s a sort of pilot program to see if it’s something that more people will do in the future. So today was the first day they’ve ever done it, and I was there, taking photos.
Every year the water around the Wheel gets drained to allow for some maintenance. This year the draining has gone on a few months longer than usual as they have more things to fix than usual. So someone came up with the clever idea of charging people to get a look inside, while it’s off. Technically they could do it while it’s in working order but as they don’t want people inside it as it turns, they’d need to do it early morning or at night. So at least for the time being, it looks like an activity that will be saved for the off-season.
This was a birthday present to me from my mum. Which was nice as it meant I didn’t need to pay for it. And I’m glad of that. It’s a few quid short of £60 and while I’ll say that I absolutely enjoyed seeing inside the now world famous attraction, I don’t know how I’d feel if I’d been £60 lighter for the privilege.
We started in a conference room and were given a brief introduction of the area and a look at the initial designs of the Wheel. It was interesting to see some of the other suggested ideas. They were keen to get things moving and into the structure so that bit was brief.
Outside we got a chat about how the Wheel works. Archimedes’ Principle of Displacement was mentioned. I didn’t know what it was but nodded regardless. I decided that it was important that these people that I had never met before and might never meet again should remain unaware that I am an idiot.
One of the lower levels gives a small look outside to see the bottom of one of the cogs.
The inside was not designed for tourists. With regards to both the space afforded to visitors and to aesthetics. Rooms one was a generator, switches on the walls and a ladder. Room two was a generator, switches on the walls and a ladder. This area of the Wheel is definitely built for function over fashion. It was becoming clear that the beauty was on the outside of the Wheel.
Don’t take this as a criticism of either the design of the Wheel or the tour. It was very interesting to see that this amazingly designed building that is rather photogenic from almost any angle is a bit of a plain Jane on the inside. It’s what made the tour quite special. We were getting to see something that was clearly not meant to be seen. This was pulling back the curtain and seeing the grimy innards. It was like visiting the engine room of the Titanic. Except the Wheel is mostly run by two guys in hi-vis on a computer. That aside, it’s exactly the same.
This next room was the star of the show. It was the centre of the spinning section. Looking like something from an old James Bond set, these were the engines (the ten things poking out up there) that turned the Wheel round. And you could walk right up the middle of it.
I chose this point to ask the question I had been storing up: Just how wrong could things go? They weren’t sure what I was getting at. I’m always interested in the worse case scenario. Whenever someone tells me about an idea they had, the first thing I do is piss all over it. Not because I hate them or their idea, but because I want to work out the kinks early so things go smoothly later on. I like to think that I focus on the dangers to avoid because too many others get excited about having a new idea and don’t really take everything into consideration.
I elaborated: Could something happen that sends the wheel spinning round with people flying off it like a roller coaster? If you want to know the answer to that question then you, like me will have to remain disappointed because they didn’t answer. Instead the fella chuckled a bit and then told a story about school children asking silly questions. You can draw whatever conclusion you want from that. I suspect that they just hadn’t thought of all the dangers and didn’t want to admit it.
Though I will say that I was less concerned about hiding the fact that I’m an idiot.
The view from the end of the tunnel. Normally that mud patch is full of water.
After that we were headed up to the top via a series of ladders. It was a bit awkward climbing up these with the camera round my neck but hardly a hardship. I had actually considered taking an older camera because I had no idea what I was going to be getting into. The info on the website mentioned, “The tour involves accessing areas through small hatches which are accessible for people of average weight and height.” I’m average height but unfortunately not average weight (for a human at least) so had thought that there might be a possibility of getting stuck in some sort of manhole.
Always thinking about the worse case scenario.
But thankfully the small hatches were actually quite big with only a slight stoop required to navigate through. And my camera was quite safe, throughout.
Wheels within Wheel.
We continued to chat for a bit about the gondola leveling mechanisms as we could see them from here. We also had to wait a few minutes while a different tour moved on so we made a bit of small talk before moving on.
Them we were up and out of the top of the wheel. Fun fact about the bit in the photo above: There are a load of spiders in there. Apparently there’s another area that we didn’t get to visit that’s infested with them. Thousands apparently. Don’t let that put you off going, though. I’m sure you won’t be near them.
I don’t have any photos of the exterior. It was pouring with rain so I was trying to keep the camera dry. And we had to wear life jackets as we were walking beside water with no barrier which had trapped my camera strap underneath so I couldn’t raise my camera if I tried.
So overall it was a very interesting take on something that you only get to see from the outside. That kind of stuff appeals to me. Getting to see and photograph the behind the scene goings on is what drew me to photograph the RDMS Amateur Dramatics Group. And the more access you get to something, the better you can understand it and photograph it. My time within the Wheel was brief, so it wasn’t like a case study where I was observing how it ran for a month. But it was certainly good to get a glimpse of how things happen. To be honest, I’m not sure I’d given it much thought at all, before.
Is the tour for everyone? I’d say not. But I think you’d know whether or not it appeals to you already. Certainly those with an interest in engineering would love it and people like me who like to see or photograph new things would get a kick from it, too. I thought it was great, overall. Once they work out how to make things run a bit more smoothly, it’ll definitely be a recommended day out.
I’ll leave you with some photographs from previous trips to the Falkirk Wheel.
