The Falkirk Wheel
Let us start with my last day in Scotland for this time. Our flight home was moved to the afternoon, so, we went west from Edinburgh to visit The Falkirk Wheel, which is the world’s first rotating boatlift. The lift links the Forth & Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, connecting Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Detta hjul är den första roterande båtliften i världen och ingår i Skottlands ambitiösa kanalprogram. Union and the Forth och Clyde är nu en oavbruten länk mellan Glasgow och Edinburgh. Hjulet svingar båtarna mellan de två vattenvägarna!
If you want to try the wheel you can take a trip on these boats. Unfortunately they were not available when we visited. Vanillarock shows great shots of the wheel at work here!
Om du ville pröva hjulet fanns möjligheten med dessa turistbåtar. De hade ännu inte öppnat när vi var där. Vanillarock visar den i arbete här!
The Kelpies
More fantastic engineering – or rather spectacular, beautiful art – are The Kelpies by sculptor Andy Scott. ”The original concept of mythical water horses was a valid starting point for the artistic development of the structures.“”I took that concept and moved with it towards a more equine and contemporary response, shifting from any mythological references towards a socio-historical monument intended to celebrate the horse’s role in industry and agriculture as well as the obvious association with the canals as tow horses.”
Som en tribut till de hästar som troget arbetat för människan, bland annat vid kanalerna, står dessa 30 meter höga jättar vid varsin sida av the Forth & Clyde Canal och bildar en portal till dess ingång.
The Kelpies stand 30 metres tall in the 350 hectares Helix recreational space in Falkirk. They are the world’s largest equine sculptures and towering over the Forth & Clyde Canal they form a gateway to the canal entrance. These sculptures are meant to pay tribute to central Scotland’s working horse heritage on the canals from years gone by.
Hästarna är konstruerade av skulptören Andy Scott. Skulpturerna påbörjades i juni 2013 och stod klara i oktober samma år. Invigningen var dock i april 2014. De är världens största hästskulpturer.
Built of structural steel with a stainless steel cladding, The Kelpies weigh 300 tonnes each.
Vi uppskattade stålplåtens tjocklek till ca en halv centimeter – och hästarna väger imponerande 300 ton vardera.
Construction began in June 2013, and was complete by October 2013. The Kelpies are positioned either side of a specially constructed lock and basin, part of the redeveloped Kelpies Hub.
Please click the photos to enlarge!
Läs mer om arbetshästarnas historia här. Read more of the working horses history here.
Leya 
Definitely a lure for photographers who lean toward abstractions.
Just moved this to my Scotland bucket list. 🙂
It’s worth it.
I absolutely love these horses, and your photos of them. Stunning!
Why thank you, Marion!
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you have some cracking shots of the skelpies – I have seen it very briefly in driving rain and failed miserably to capture their scale and grandeur
Hopefully you will come back to see them – they are worth a visit. They are illuminated at night I’ve read, and I will be back to see that next Autumn…hopefully.
I will track down you Skye post – I love Skye only been 3 times and only once as a photographer. I have only skimmed the surface and I know that the island must be seen from the sea (getting a small boat – watch this space) – interestingly I only took photography up 6 years ago and I am self taught – but I am aware that I look at things completely differently than I did – say 10 years ago – you will absolutely love Edinburgh the atmosphere at the Festival is pretty amazing – particularly meeting so many foreign visitors – who are clearly buzzing from the experience. I will offer one piece of advice – plan you visit thoroughly – you can save huge amounts of time and money (and frustration) there are lots of good guides – worth looking at the on-line guides for this years to get an idea. Some of the free shows and smaller venues offer a better insight to the fringe than the bigger more successful ones. Either way I know you will love the trip
Thank you for some good advice! I’ll try that.
This time we saw rhem building the stage and putting up all the lights only…
The Kelpies are really impressive! Thank you for sharing such an amazing piece of art!
Thank you, Ese – I found them enchanting, really. Could hardly leave…
Vilka läckra foton!
De var ljuvligt pampiga och alltigenom fantastiska. Åker gärna dit igen på kvällen – de är belysta då.
Ja det förstår jag, det måste vara en alldeles fantastisk syn!
Truly amazing sculptures ! How on earth does some one even begin to design something like this … the scale … and the material …
Thanks – it’s great to have seen this Ann Christine !
Aren’t they amazing, yes. I just adored them and took many photos and sat down just admiring…The material is so well chosen – reflecting lights and shadows superbly.
I am SO envious that you have seen the Kelpies. I try not to be envious but in this case, I am. Gorgeous!
You are so sweet – I understand your thinking. Sometimes it’s not possible to not be envious…But maybe it’s good we can be, because then we will have to work on it. I’m not as good at is as I wish to be…
Yes, rather than being envious, I should work on figuring out how to get to Scotland and all the other places I want to see!
That’s the way!
If only the Kelpies had another name ! – not that anyone except Aussies are confused (we have marvellous working dogs called kelpies). They are BEAUTIFUL sculpture, Ann Chrstine – I had no idea that they’re hollow, and, what’s more, see-through ! Thank you for such SUPER photos !
You’re welcome, M.R.! I really enjoyed walking around the area and even touching them.
Wow! Incredible horse sculpture! Great captures.
They were marvellous indeed – thank you!
This must be unbelievable to see, I mean the horse sculpture. Beautiful photos!
Thank you – they were gorgeous! I think I stayed for at least an hour just walking around them seeing them from different angles.
😀
What wonderful Kelpie shots….I must get over there and photograph them…..and at night they are illuminated 🙂
That was great that you got a bonus extra half day!
Yes, we were so lucky to get the chance to see them. now I’m looking forward to your shots! I saw pictures of them illuminated when I came home – wonderful.
there is a wonderful video about its construction here http://www.thehelix.co.uk/things-to-do/the-kelpies/kelpies-tour/#.U9UfiWK9KSM
Great shots of the kelpies! I featured the Falkirk wheel in a previous post and got lots of good responses- hope you do too.
Thank you! I’ll try to find it!
I am amazed you found it- my tagging and categories are rubbish! Thank you.
Found it! Great! It was moving when you visited – did you try it yourselves? Could not find where to comment…only gilla/like?
It was moving, leya. No you wouldn’t get me on that!! There is a little comment icon which you press – it’s top right next to title. It looks like the weather was a typical grey Scottish day.