In a stroke of fortune, the moment we park up and walk towards them, the sun bursts from behind the clouds and The Kelpies start twinkling. Constructed from stainless steel, these monumental horse heads are said to be the largest equine sculptures in the world: Baron, who faces upwards, is 30 metres high; Duke, who glances down, is 26.5m.
The duo certainly dwarf our tour group — even our lofty Scottish driver-guide Stefan, who is around 2m tall and shares some key facts and tall stories about The Kelpies, which lord above the locks of the Forth and Clyde Canal between Edinburgh and Glasgow. “According to legend, kelpies are shape-shifting spirits that live in the waters of Scotland, often appearing as beautiful men or women who tempt you to the water’s edge. But if you touch a kelpie, it will drag you in and eat you,” explains Stefan, who then adds with a smile: “It was probably something parents told their kids to keep them away from the water.
” You can spot these Kelpies as you’re driving along the M9 motorway, just outside the town of Falkirk, a once thriving hub for the iron and steel industries, about 20 minutes south of Stirling. But it’s worth pulling over, following the signs for The Helix, a canalside park on reclaimed scrubland that has these sculptures at its centrepiece. Taller than Antony Gormley’s famed Angel of the North (which towers 20m by the M1 near Gateshead, England), The Kelpies are modelled on a pair of Clydesdale horses, a hardy worki.