The Kelpies are two 30-metre steel horse heads rising from the grass of the Helix park at the edge of Falkirk, commissioned as a gateway monument to the new park and to the canal network. Sculptor Andy Scott spent years designing them. Up close, the scale is startling — each head weighs about 300 tonnes, and the engineering required to give the steel its muscular surface texture is as impressive as the final result.
The heads stand at the entrance to a new canal basin, and you can walk all the way around them and through the basin. Guided tours go inside the hollow steel structure, which is worth doing if you want to understand how something this large is built. The Helix park itself is a pleasant 350 hectares of green space along the Forth and Clyde Canal, with cycling and walking paths and children's play areas. It connects by towpath to the Falkirk Wheel, making a good half-day walk if the weather cooperates.