As part of our recent trip to Scotland, I told Hubby that I really wanted to go see the Kelpies. Actually, what I think I said was: “Giant steel horse heads in the middle of Scotland!!!” – on repeat until he agreed.
I’ve been following these landmark sculptures on Facebook for about a year and have watched them progress from an empty concrete base, all the way up to their current state (giant steel horse heads in the middle of Scotland).
While the sculptures themselves are finished and open to the public for viewing, there’s still a bit of work to be done around them – such as the lighting, landscaping and visitor centre.
But that was good enough for me, so, Hubby, his brother, the baby and I jumped in the car and headed off towards Falkirk. (As you can see, Pumpkin was very excited about the excursion.)
We were surprised to see how busy it was for a Tuesday morning. There was a lot of road congestion as we entered the Helix (the larger park that includes the Kelpies), but we eventually got through it all and headed up to the car park. We even managed to find a space, get the pram assembled and head off towards the sculptures.
By this point, Pumpkin had woken up, but she was more interested in her dolly. I, on the other hand, was stupidly excited and took a lot of pictures. A LOT.
The Kelpies are two individual statues modelled after a pair of Clydesdale horses named Duke and Baron. They sit on either side a turning pool on the Forth and Clyde Canal.
I asked Hubby and his bro to pretend to be the statues. This is what they came up with. Not impressed? No, neither was I. 😉
While the two Clydesdales mentioned above were the models for the Kelpies, these sculptures represent much more.
They were designed as a monument to Scotland’s horse-powered past. They were also inspired by mythological creatures – called kelpies – that were once believed to inhabit the country’s lochs and waterways. They usually appear in the shape of a horse, but can also transform into other creatures, including humans.
Pumpkin was a bit more impressed as we got closer.
While I thought both sculptures by artist Andy Scott were impressive, I preferred the one on the left, with his head down. I think because he seems more friendly – like he wants you to feed him a carrot.
A giant steel carrot.
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The two are obviously work best together though, especially with a dramatic Scottish sky in the background.
Hubby took a photo of Pumpkin and me in front of the statue – we were a bit too close for a proper picture, but it was very windy and I wanted to put her back in the shelter of the pram as soon as possible. So we didn’t try to get another pose.
The metalwork on the statues is really impressive too. Every piece is unique and they fit together like a puzzle. The cuts and joints add texture and create a fantastic industrial feel to what would otherwise be a much more organic form.
While some of the landscape work has not yet been finished, the walkways were paved and there were quotes here and there. I especially liked this one: “Echo the great beasts that work among us”.
Heading back to the car park, we walked along the canal, looking at the boats and enjoying the view. It would have been nice to explore the rest of the Helix a bit more, but we weren’t sure if the weather was going to hold out and I didn’t want to get stuck in the rain with the baby.
Once we got back in the car, we decided to pay a visit to my old stomping ground: Stirling. It was a bit of a flying trip and I was disappointed I didn’t get to meet up with any old friends, but I did get to have some sticky toffee pudding. That helped.
We took a little walk around the town centre – this pub was a post office when I lived there. It’s just around the corner from where I lived (more than five years ago now – how time flies!).
Lovely Friar’s Street has barely changed.
I’d been wanting to get a See You Jimmy hat for Pumpkin for some time. I popped into a discount bookstore on the high street and was torn between getting her a traditional red one with the little tuft of red hair, or something a bit more girly.
The girly one won out, and I’m so glad it did. This is one of my favourite photos of her now!
I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to see the Kelpies and will certainly be back on a future trip to Scotland. Better planning would mean that we could squeeze in a trip to see the Falkirk Wheel too (how dumb is it that I never saw it when I lived there?) and I’d love to spend a bit more time rediscovering Stirling.
The Helix is always open and it’s free to visit and wander around the Kelpies statues. Tours are also available – visit the website to find out more.
Great post, Shannon. At first, I was confusing the Kelpies with Silkies so I’m glad you straightened that out. What does “kelpie” mean? My mind went immediately to seaweed. After seeing the heads, I thought of the stone heads on Easter Island. Clydesdales are BIG (pun intended) in St. Louis. They’re the symbol for Anheuser Busch, the beer people so Clydesdales are featured guests at all parades, opening day for baseball, and most events.
What’s the story behind a “See You Jimmy” hat? I love the photo of Pumpkin wearing one, but it is an unusual name so there has to be a story. Enlighten this poor American.
Kelpies are mythical creatures – kind of like sirens, except they can change form. Maybe sirens can change shape too; I can’t remember. They’re often take the shape of horses and are said to live in or near water – particularly lochs.
The Jimmy hat gets its name from a comedy sketch, I think. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. One of the characters was wearing one of the hats and the punchline was “See you Jimmy”. That’s all I know – and it might not be true. 🙂