The Kelpies

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The Kelpies are two 30 metre high statues by Glaswegian sculpture Andy Scott and are visible to travelers on the M9 motorway near Falkirk, which connects Stirling and Edinburgh.  The statues are constructed of structural steel with a stainless steel outer skin.  This stainless steel skin reflects the light of the day, and the night, and makes for an amazing sight in all weathers. 

 The Kelpies were officially opened to the public on the 21st April this year and we decided to take a trip out to see them.


The Kelpies stand next to a new extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal in The Helix, a new parkland project built to connect 16 communities in the Falkirk Council Area, Scotland. 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 name reflected the mythological transforming beasts possessing the strength and endurance of 10 horses; a quality that is analogous with the transformational change and endurance of Scotland's inland waterways. The Kelpies represent the lineage of the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy, pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges and coalships that shaped the geographical layout of the Falkirk area.  

 This image gives you a sense of scale with the people standing at the base of these giant 30 metre / 90 foot high structures.

For more information on The Kelpies visit the OFFICIAL WEBSITE or the HELIX WEBSITE

 Here are some more images of The Kelpies -










All of the images were taken on a Fujifilm X-Pro1 fitted with a Fujinon XF14mm f2.8R lens or a Fujifilm X-T1 fitted with a Fujinon XF55-200mm f3.5/4.8R OIS lens.  The images were converted to mono and processed in Silver Efex Pro2 and Photoshop Elements 11.
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