I have just added this to the map of places to fly your drone at Drone Scene:
The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Tamfourhill, Falkirk, in central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.
It opened in 2002 as part of the Millennium Link project, reconnecting the two canals for the first time since the 1930s.
The plan to regenerate central Scotland’s canals and reconnect Glasgow with Edinburgh was led by British Waterways with support and funding from seven local authorities, the Scottish Enterprise Network, the European Regional Development Fund, and the Millennium Commission. Planners decided early to create a dramatic 21st-century landmark structure to reconnect the canals, rather than simply recreating the historic lock flight.
The wheel raises boats by 24 metres (79 ft), but the Union Canal is still 11 metres (36 ft) higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel. Boats must also pass through a pair of locks between the top of the wheel and the Union Canal.
The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and one of two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom, the other being the Anderton Boat Lift.
Drove up today … to find it’s undergoing maintenance. Doh! Looks to be an annual shutdown over the winter months, so worth checking before making the trip (lesson learned).
Also, as I was packing up I was approached by somebody from Scottish Canals telling me that I needed to request permission before flying at any of their sites (including all the canals, the Wheel and the Kelpies). I was outside the boundary fence for the wheel, >100m from the nearest person and well away from the wheel itself, but the wind was picking up and I was done anyway so didn’t feel like arguing the toss.
She said to check their website for the details, which I now have… nothing wrong with my flying at all.
I parked in the car park and planned to seek forgiveness rather than permission. TOAL were responsibly distant from the crowds with the drone largely over water or grass.
