Stirlingshire 1 - Falkirk - The Kelpies - the mythical shape shifting horses

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Mythical shape shifting horses - what is that all about ? A kelpie is a common water spirit in Scottish folklore. Sometimes the kelpie is a Celtic lakeside dwelling water horse . It can be described as a spirit living besides rivers . The kelpies also represent the heavy horses that once pulled the barges along the Scottish canals .

We found ourselves on the car park at the Helix , Falkirk in Stirlingshire . We had not intended to be here this quickly but a combination of Hawick disappointing and then no parking at Melrose meant that we ended up at the Heliz rather early . Melrose had an abbey which was very similar to Jedburgh . Admission would have been free as it came under our membership of Cadw . Sadly the abbey looked lovely and would have made a good visit but we could not park . Our Camp4night site had told us that there was plenty of parking near the abbey and that we could stay overnight for free . The reality was that the car park was full . We could not have squeezed the smallest of Mini cars in there . There was a small amount of parking roadside but not enough for a van . So we had to make the decision of what to do next. No point staying at Melrose we had to move on . So move on we did . Falkirk . Next stop on our whistle stop tour of the Lowlands of Scotland .

The Helix was a massive park which had been created on an old industrial site. The transformation project aimed to improve the connections between the 16 communities served by Falkirk council, the area aroung the Forth and Clyde canals and the River Carron, The land had been underused and the area attracted funding which helped to provide a green space with plenty of parking , reed beds , pathways and cycle tracks . Watersports faciliities , a large lagoon , play areas and two amazing statues - The kelpies . When I thought of old mining areas in Derbyshire that had attracted funding they paled in comparison to the Helix. All we got in Derbyshire were paths , huge tracts of flat land and a few linked trails with ponds . This was on a majestic scale . If you are going to build then you may as well build big .

We parked up on the small car park on the perimetre of the park . We asked another lady in a van where we paid for overnight parking . She explained that we needed to walk up to the upper car park and if we wanted to stay it would cost us £5,. We were not sure whether to stop the night . The car park seemed noisy so we were very undecided . We got back in Gabby and headed to the top car park to scope that one out . The man in his little shed stopped us. He held out his long selfie stick . On the end was not a camera but a credit card machine . £3 he said it was to stay the day . £5 for the night . We thought about it and made the decision not to stay . We had another plan in the back of our minds .

We could see the Kelpies . The area around them was full of people but all were social distancing and keeping safe . Areas were set aside as seats. Everyone who went into the cafe masked up . Everyone including us who were buying a 99 ice cream masked up. It was all sociable . I wished I lived closer . It seemed a lovely place to walk in all the seasons . Boats could moor up and the Kelpies lit up at night , Just like the Allianz stadium . I bet they looked like gigantic marshmallows at night . They were so large they could be seen from the road . The road was the worse bit about staying . It was busy and it was noisy.

25 million pounds worth of funding had come to the Helix to pay for the park and its infrastructure . We thought if you are going to build something you may as well build it big . As we walked round we started to look at other peoples masks . We have been wearing masks for the last 15 months . They are the must have accessory . All shapes and sizes . They tell a story about the wearer. We bought three boxes of blue ones . They have lasted a long time . At first we wore one and then threw it away. Now we seem to keep them and reuse them. We do prefer material ones . Wrexham Football Club on Glenns . Mine paisley black , green and plaid . Mine seem well suited to Scotland .

So what can we say about the Kelpies ? They are the largest equine statues in the world . They stand at 100 ft tall and are majestic . They were shining in the sun . They weigh in at 300 tonnes . Produced by joining small stainless steel plates which let the light in during the day. This holiday to Scotland has proved to be an interesting one. The Kelpies certainly are worth a visit and for the three pounds admission fee to the park were well worth the money . We walked around them looking at them from all different angles . We looked up at them , around them and found them fascinating . They were stunning . They were different . They were innovative . They were a real achievement . We wouldnt have missed them for the world .

It was time though for Gabby to find her place to stop the night . It was just going to be up the road . Another of Scotlands major regeneration projects and a world beater . This holiday was certainly giving us an interesting few days away .

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