September 2017
Right out of Edinburgh airport, the first attraction on our itinerary is a visit the ‘Kelpies’ located in Falkirk about 19 miles away. The Kelpies are two 30 metre high horse-head sculptures made of stainless steel. Each weighs 300 tons and took only 90 days to erect. They are the largest equine sculptures in the world. After a ½ hour drive, we reached the Kelpies.
Towering over the greens as seen from the car park.
Pathway from the car park to the Kelpies.
Side view of one of the horse’s head from the canal.
The Kelpies is part of ‘The Helix’, a land transformation project to improve the connections between and around 16 communities in Falkirk district. It’s a unique outdoor space that includes woodland, canals, a central park with lagoon and a network of cycle paths, walkways, ‘The Kelpies’ and another piece of engineering marvel, ‘The Falkirk Wheel’ which we will be visiting next.
The canal along side the Kelpies.
Vegetation along the canal.
The fragile vegetation and the stainless steel Kelpies.
The Kelpies is set in a beautiful park standing next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and near River Carron. Entrance is free. Parking nearby the sculptures cost £3, otherwise free parking is 10-15 minutes walk away. The sculptures are a wonderful feat of engineering towering from the ground up. We visited during the day but have read that they are lit at night which would be even more spectacular. Tours are conducted that will take you inside the sculptures at a price, of-course.
From afar, the grass surrounding the Kelpies.
Small group of visitors during our visit. Expect large crowd during rest days.
A sense of dimension with a couple of people standing at it’s base.
From a different angle.
The Kelpies are almost surrounded by water.
Close-up of one of the Kelpies.
Another close-up view.
Magnificent piece of art or is it engineering.
The two horse’s head as seen from inside the cafe.
