Wednesday 30 September 2015

Falkirk Wheel.



Scotland’s canals were once vital avenues for goods transport but the railway age left them to fall into dereliction. A millennium project restored two of the country’s major canals, the Union and the Forth and Clyde that were linked by a series of eleven locks to raise boats from one to the other a distance of 115 feet, taking most of the day.  The construction of this modern engineering marvel changed all this. This is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world allowing its rotating arms to literally scoop boats up to the higher waterway. Named after its nearby town, which the new 'Pink Bus[1]’ service links to both the town and The Kelpies



[1] A Scottish Government funded bus service to encourage tourists to visit both these marvellous attractions.










On site entertainment provided....
....and of cause plenty of water!


Monday 28 September 2015

The Kelpies Falkirk.




The Kelpies are a pair of stunning equine horse-head sculptures each one standing 30-metre high, located next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and near River Carron. The sculptures were designed by sculptor Andy Scott and were completed in October 2013. The sculptures form a gateway at the eastern entrance to the Forth and Clyde canal, and the new canal extension built as part of The Helix land transformation project. 



The Kelpies are a monument to horse-powered heritage across Scotland and are named after mythical water horses. Fashioned out of stainless steel they are a tribute to the working horses that once hauled barges along the canal.




The sculptures opened to the public in April 2014. As part of the project, they will have their own visitor centre, and sit beside a newly developed canal turning pool and extension. This canal extension reconnects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the River Forth, and improves navigation between the East and West of Scotland.
and a great ice cream parlour.