Midway through our Helpx stay in Scotland and we are absolutely loving the wall to wall sunshine but not loving the wall to wall painting in the heat quite so much. We do get the occasional day off of course and we try to plan a few trips out to see as much of Scotland as possible. This week we headed south from Pitlochry towards Falkirk.
Driving the Perthshire Tourist Route
Scotland has so many fabulous roads twisting and turning their way through jaw-dropping scenery that it’s often difficult to decide which route to take. Our host Tina recommended that we take the Perthshire Tourist Route down through Amulree, Crieff and Muthill on our way to Falkirk. Rolling hills and trickling streams bordered the road all the way and we hardly saw another vehicle.
The Kelpies
This was somewhere that we had never even heard of until Tina mentioned it. Bit of research and we decided to make a day of it. The Kelpies are 30 metre high horse head sculptures in Helix Park in Falkirk. Built by sculptor Andy Scott in 2013 at the gateway to the Forth and Clyde canal they apparently attract a million visitors a year.
We turned up with the sun shining and lovely blue skies to see the two horses towering above us. They’re incredibly impressive and look very grand from every angle but you get a slight sense of ‘what are these actually for’ as you walk around. That may be because we’re not very arty I suppose. Art is just that isn’t it? It’s art.
The Falkirk Wheel
The Kelpies are to the east of Falkirk so it was just a short 10 minute drive to the west of the town to get to the famous Falkirk Wheel. This is an unbelievable piece of engineering that connects the Union Canal with the Forth and Clyde Canal and actually lifts boats 80 feet from one canal to the other. It’s the only rotating boat lift in the world.
According to one of the numerous plaques that Jo insisted on reading, the whole lift is powered by the equivalent of boiling 8 kettles of water. They carry 500 tonnes of water and boats and the whole process depends on balance, water displacement and those eight kettles! We just sat almost underneath one of the arms watching the barges load on and off and marvelling at how it all worked.
A sly and sneaky bacon sandwich and a coffee in the visitors centre completed our visit in style before we headed back north towards the historic town of Stirling.
Gateway to the Highlands
The city of Stirling is known as the Gateway to the Highlands as it sits right between the lowlands and highlands and on the Forth River. The whole city appears to be gathered at the feet of Stirling Castle that sits proudly at the top of the steep Castle Hill (well named) and dominates the city. We weren’t sure whether we would go in the castle but decided to hike up the hill to have a look.
Very steep is an understatement and by the time we were at the castle gates we were shattered. Even worse was to come when we found it cost £15 each to get in. I think you would need to have a few hours to get your moneys worth so we declined and just had a brief look from the outside.
Walking down the hill into Stirling wasn’t nearly half as bad as walking up unsurprisingly as we tried to get a flavour of this historic old city. We were struck by the number of bars and restaurants but then realised that this is a university town so the nightlife is bound to be good. Quite busy though and maybe not quite as picturesque as we had imagined.
National Wallace Monument
Just to the north of the city is the National Wallace Monument dedicated not to Mel Gibson but to the real William Wallace. It’s a 19th century tower on the top of Abbey Craig that overlooks the city and claims to be on the spot that Wallace watched the English army arrive before he defeated them at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.
Another steep climb up to the tower but much nicer that the city and the views down to Stirling from the top were fabulous.
Braveheart and Freedom
My favourite story however is about something that we didn’t see and that actually isn’t even there. In 1996 sculptor Tom Church carved a piece that he called ‘Freedom‘. It was based on the film Braveheart starring Mel Gibson and depicted him in the classic Hollywood William Wallace pose. The statue was placed at the Wallace Memorial in 1997 but immediately became ‘the most loathed piece of public art in Scotland’ and was regularly vandalised. They built a cage around it for protection but the vandalism and hatred only intensified until it was removed and returned to Mr Church in 2008. He failed to sell the item and even offered it to Donald Trump for his equally unpopular golf resort on the east coast with no success. Apparently it currently sits at the bottom of Mr Churchs garden.
Another Cracking Day Off
A quicker drive home to Pitlochry via Perth completed our mini tour. Being able to use the little VW here is such a benefit as we can make the most of our days off and get to see places like those mentioned here. We are indebted to Tina and Norman for making this possible as it really is something that they don’t have to do. Here’s to more days off exploring this amazingly beautiful country in the few weeks that we have left.
21/06/2018
I have always wanted to go to Scotland! Love the architecture – both the old and the new. The Braveheart statue made me laugh a little. Kinda creepy on the face 🙂
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Its a wonderful place to visit, you should try and make it up here. The Braveheart statue looks awful doesn’t it?
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It sure does 😱
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The Falkirk wheel really is an incredible piece of engineering isn’t it, using natural forces to move immense weights. So simple and yet so clever!
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Its an amazing feat. So quiet and fascinating to watch especially when you take into consideration the huge weight of water involved on each turn.
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I’m with you, those horse sutures – why! Guess I’m not arty either.
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They do look impressive and are interesting to see but you do wonder ‘why’. Just a little bit.
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You’re doing so well with the weather. Hopeful it’s still good when I’m home in September.
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It’s forecast to stay good for at least the next couple of weeks so you never know, could be the whole summer. It can change suddenly though, you know what Scotland is like.
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Wow, a bagpipe maker! Well, I never…. 😉
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Not the sort of shop you expect to see anywhere else but Scotland eh? Wonder how much business they get?
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I bet they get heaps! 😂😂
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Mate, I could have told you all about Stirling! The castle is actually really interesting but like you say you need a few hours to get your £15 worth. I would imagine the town would be rather quiet as most of the students would have finished for the summer. The Wallace Monument is cool. Jack and I couldn’t coax Ros up the windy, stone staircase though. Did you see the size of his sword? Twice the size of Jo surely.
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I know you’ve been there so many times. It was pretty quiet too, expect it’s a completely different atmosphere once all the students are back. Nice place to go to Uni though.
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This is the first time I am hearing about Falkirk and it seems like a very charming place to explore, Jonno! What I would especially love to see is the Falkirk wheel which seems mesmerizing!
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The Falkirk Wheel is definitely worth a visit Lydia, never seen anything like it anywhere else. Thanks for visiting.
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Love the pose, Jo. Good to see that you climbed down safely 🙂 Horses are featured regularly throughout the UK, and, I suppose they played a significant part of our history. Plus, they are loved by many, though I am not a horsey type person, just arty!
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We’re not really horsey people but the Kelpies are impressive. She loves a bit of a pose sometimes.
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Good day out, Jonno. You can apparently climb the inside of the Kelpies, (might be a lift- not sure 🙂 ) and I would have to do that. Never made it to Falkirk or Stirling. Always meant to but life keeps getting in the way. 🙂
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A friend of mine ours who grew up in Scotland showed us some photos of this area a year ago. Ever since then I have been enamoured with these giant horses, not to mention that rotating bridge. So lovely to see it again and definitely on our travel radar.
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The horses are quite something and the Falkirk Wheel is fascinating. Well worth a trip to see just them.
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Some impressive sights going on in Stirling!
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It’s a nice city, bit hilly though.
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The Kelpies look amazing – I’d love to see them! I’ve heard a lot about the Falkirk Wheel too so would like to check that out. I clearly need to take another trip to Scotland sometime soon…
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So much to see up here Kate. get planning that McTrip now.
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