Category: David Rankin

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Whisky, lochs and castles tour

Our private group visits a malt whisky distillery and two unique Scottish castles. This tour visits Deanston Distillery, Stirling Castle and Doune Castle. Doune Castle featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail , Game of Thrones and Outlander

Two ancient Scottish castles and a distillery feature in this tour –

  •  Stirling Castle
  • Doune Castle
  • Deanston Highland Malt Distillery
  • Loch Lubnaig and Loch Lubhair

Doune Castle featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail , Game of Thrones and the Outlander TV series.

Stirling Castle is one of Scotland’s most impressive castles due to its imposing position and amazing architecture.

Deanston Distillery makes award-winning Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The Standard Tour finishes off with a tasting of Deanston 12 year old whisky .

Toll free number 1-866-233-2644

Freephone 0800-6190575

or online .

Our whisky tours from Edinburgh include a guided tour of the distillery and a tasting of Deanston 12 year old , £5 voucher towards the purchase of any bottle of Deanston 70cl single malt whisky in the distillery shop . Duration: 50 minutes

1

Doune Castle

Originally dating to the 13th Century, Doune Castle near Stirling plays Castle Leoch, home to Colum MacKenzie and his clan in Outlander TV series .

It also features in the 20th century episode when Claire and Frank Randall visit the castle on a day trip.

Once a Royal residence, Doune Castle was rebuilt by Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany in the late 14th Century.

Doune has appeared several times on screen and was widely used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It also represented the castle Winterfell in Game of Thrones.

 

2 Deanston Distillery

In 1974 Deanston produced the very first bottle of Deanston Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The standard tour at Deanston costs £9 per person ( not included on tour price )

Each tour warmly welcomes you into the heart of the distillery, where Deanston makes award-winning Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Here you will see a traditional open top mash tun, gleaming copper stills and a must-see vaulted maturation Warehouse 2B. Join the experienced tour guides on a journey through time, taking you back to the past as a cotton mill and through the evolution of Deanston Distillery . The Standard Tour finishes off with a tasting of Deanston 12 year old whisky .

Guided tour of the distillery Includes a tasting of Deanston 12 year old , £5 voucher towards the purchase of any bottle of Deanston 70cl single malt whisky in the distillery shop Duration: 50 minutes

Every drop of Highland Single Malt is a marriage of the finest local ingredients and the skill of the craft to create the wonderful, fresh, honeyed sweetness that Deanston is known for. The Distillery has a commitment to using a traditional, hand crafted approach to our whisky embodies the honesty of our community. Our adherence to traditional methods combined with the skills and experience of our distillery team makes Deanston the unique single malt it is today.

3 Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle is one of Scotland’s most impressive castles due to its imposing position and impressive architecture.

From Stirling Castle’s ramparts, visitors can take in views of the Forth Valley and Ben Lomond , as well as two of Scotland’s most important battle sites – Stirling Bridge (1297) and Bannockburn (1314). The castle is at the head of Stirling’s historic old town.Like Edinburgh Castle , Stirling sits on a volcanic rock dominating the city skyline .

Stirling Castle is not only one of Scotland’s grandest and most imposing castles, it was also a real favourite with Scotland’s kings and queens. And their investment in it demonstrated just how much they loved to use it, as well as their desire to ensure it both impressed all who visited it, and represented a statement of their power and wealth. James IV created the Great Hall, the largest medieval banqueting hall ever built in Scotland, and James V’s Royal Palace, with its lavishly decorated Renaissance façades, was a masterpiece of the period.

Major conservation work has been carried out at Stirling Castle over many years to preserve the attraction as a major national and international monument. The refurbishment of the Great Hall was completed a couple of years ago . A particular feature of the Great Hall is stained glass windows featuring clan crests . A number of banquets and concerts are held in the Hall throughout the year .

Phone 07305-294773 for bookings.

Exclusions

entrance tickets

distillery tour tickets

  • whisky tours
  • castle tours
  • tours of Scotland
  • single malt whisky  tasting
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Edinburgh Castle pictures

 

edinburgh castle tshirts

Edinburgh Castle remains the most popular visitor attraction in Scotland according to figures released by Historic Scotland .

All saw a rise in visitors over the year before.The main reason for the increase is the fact that the weak pound made Scotland an attractive holiday destination for Europeans.

Edinburgh Castle t-shirts

Edinburgh Castle is Scotland’s most popular visitor attraction,” Dr Murray said. “More than 1 million visitors are drawn each year by its spectacular location and history. They can see the Crown Jewels, the One O’Clock Gun and the Stone of Destiny as well as the Great Hall, St Margaret’s Chapel, and Mons Meg. “This new exhibition will explore more of the castle’s complex story, with links to Scots-born John Paul Jones – renowned in America as founder of the US Navy  and in Britain for capturing one of the Royal Navy’s warships – and the turbulence of revolutionary Europe at the end of the 1700s.”Edinburgh Castle is a world-class attraction and today’s well-traveled tourists have high expectations.”The vaults at Edinburgh Castle were constructed around 1500 and later used as soldiers’ barrack-rooms and a bakehouse. However they were used for many years as prisons of war from the 1750s into the early 1800s. Graffiti carved into prison doors reveal the names and sentiments of many of the men there, and some of them etched crude drawings of their vessels. One drawing shows a gallows and noose, with the inscription Lord Nord (North) – the British Prime Minister at the time of the American War of Independence. Another shows a ship flying what appears to be the stars and stripes: one of the earliest known depictions of the American flag.

The Castle is at the top of the Royal Mile . If you walk down the Royal Mile you can see a large number of gift shops , pubs and restaurants . At the foot of the Royal Mile is the new Scottish Parliament building and the Palace of Holyroodhouse , the official residence of the Queen in Scotland .
Kari Coghill of Historic Scotland said: “Our attractions enjoyed a good summer right across the country.
At the same time we obviously benefited from the fact that a weak pound made Scotland an attractive destination for Europeans. But we have also been doing a huge amount to market all that Historic Scotland has to offer, and the good value it provides, and that has seen our membership numbers pass 100,000 for the first time.” Historic Scotland is one of 2 main agencies in charge of Scotland’s castles , the other one being the National Trust for Scotland. more Edinburgh Castle pictures

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Why does Jamie call Claire a “Sassenach” ?

If you’ve watched/read Outlander from the beginning, you know that Claire has been called many things, both derogatory and endearing. While most people have referred to her as a witch because of her healing powers, the one nickname that stands out most is “Sassenach.” Over 50 photo gifts are available from this picture of Linlithgow Palace , featured as Wentworth Prison in Outlander , including cards, prints, t-shirts, phone cases and lots more.
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Send a free ecard of this image of Linlithgow Palace
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A sassenach typically refers to an English person or a foreigner, deriving from the Gaelic sasunnach “Saxon” as it was used by Gaelic speakers to refer to Scottish Lowlanders who had Anglo-Saxon descent as a way of setting boundaries and divisions. In the first episode of the show, the Highlanders label her as such because she’s an Englishwoman, but Jamie adopts that as a form of endearment, calling her the term lovingly and generally using her name when he’s peeved or thinks she’s being too defiant. While sassenach started as a way to distinguish her from the Highlanders, it now demonstrates feelings of familiarity between Jamie and Claire, which is why it’s particularly important that Jamie doesn’t stop calling her that, even 20 years later.

In “A. Malcolm,” upon seeing Claire after regaining consciousness, Jamie calls her by her name, although he goes right back to calling her Sassenach, especially when they’re getting reacquainted in the bedroom. “It’s always been forever for me, Sassenach,” Jamie exclaims, reassuring Claire that he never stopped loving her. It’s an interesting contrast to Laoghaire calling her a “Sassenach witch” in the episode “First Wife” when she learns that Claire’s back. It’s a reminder that the term still has a negative connotation, even though it has come to be more meaningful for Jamie and Claire, and, for Jamie, describes Claire as less of a foreigner and something more ethereal.

In the latest episode, “Uncharted,” Jamie yelling out “Sassenach!” when he spots Claire on the beach through his spy glass is instinctual and lets viewers know that while they haven’t been reunited for long and still have a lot to learn about each other, they’re still Jamie and Claire down to their cores and will always find their way back to each other, regardless of the circumstances.

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The Kelpies are glorious armoured giant horses

The Kelpies have become the most famous equine sculptures in the world . But now they have been given another name to make them more attractive to Chinese tourists.

VisitBritain, which markets the UK abroad, has dubbed them ‘Kai Po Ju Ma’ in promotional literature in China – which translates as “glorious armoured giant horses”.

Explore the famous Kelpies , the Falkirk Wheel and Callendar House in Falkirk . Normal pickup point is Edinburgh city centre . Five hour private tour around Falkirk for up to four passengers. Tours start at 10.00 am weekdays and 1.30 pm weekends.

kelpies falkirk tours

Explore the famous Kelpies , the Falkirk Wheel and Callendar House in Falkirk .

Tours start at 10.00 am weekdays and 1.30 pm weekends

Normal pickup point is your Edinburgh city centre hotel , Airbnb or your port .

Itinerary

  • 5 hour private tour group day trip around Falkirk
  • Explore the world famous Kelpies , a tribute to the Clydesdale horses that used to pull barges along the canals of Scotland
  • the Falkirk Wheel , a unique rotating boat lift
  • historic Callendar House featuring a working kitchen
  • Take in unique views of the historic Callendar House and Park
  • Small private group tour with a maximum of 4 people

Callendar House has just received a five-star rating from VisitScotland. The 14th century building, set within Callendar Park and opened to the public in 1996 after centuries as a family home with links to Mary Queen of Scots, has achieved the national tourism organisation’s top-quality award. The House dates back to the 14th century.

For categories including core experience, catering, hospitality, friendliness, staff efficiency and cleanliness it reached “exceptional” standard following a Quality Assurance visit.

The house is a credit to the local area and is a fantastic free day out. It features art, history, interactive fun and a warm welcome from the team, all set within beautiful parklands. Also possibly the best cakes in Falkirk in the tearoom.

The House, which sits along a stretch of the Antonine Wall, is also a member of VisitScotland’s Taste Our Best and VIP schemes. It boasts a working 19th century kitchen where costumed staff create an interactive experience for visitors and offer samples of early 1800s food as well as a museum which details the story of the house and area covering the 11th to 19th centuries.

Falkirk’s tourism offering going from strength to strength as it becomes the third five-star attraction in the area.

Our tour of Falkirk features a visit to the world famous Kelpies , the Falkirk Wheel and Callendar House.

We stop for up to an hour at each location .

Lunch and refreshments are not included . Phone 07305-294773 to make a booking or contact us online .

Our Kelpies gift shop features 50 great Kelpies photo gifts including, posters, phone cases, prints , clocks and bags .

It follows the results of a £1.6 million ‘Great Names for Great Britain’ campaign, which builds on the existing trend of giving relatable Mandarin names to favourite celebrities, places and foods.

 “Kai Po Ju Ma” have set records with over 600,000 in their first year of opening . A new visitor centre is being built to help cope with the influx of visitors and improve their experience at the sculptures.

New Mandarin names for 23 iconic Scottish attractions have been announced in total, including Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and Glencoe.

The campaign reached nearly 300 million Chinese prospective visitors to the UK through VisitBritain’s influential Weibo and WeChat social media platforms across China. Over two million people visited the campaign pages and nearly 30 million Chinese people watched the launch video, with 13,000 new names suggested throughout the ten week-long voting period.

Visit the Kelpies for a great day out .

Explore the famous Kelpies , the Falkirk Wheel and Callendar House in Falkirk .
the kelpies,kelpies tours , Helix tours

Book your Falkirk tour on 07305-294773 or online at Private Tours Scotland

Tours start at 10.00 am .

Normal pickup point is Edinburgh city centre or the airport . Other pickup points can be arranged , subject to an additional fee .

Itinerary

  • 5 hour private tour group day trip around Falkirk
  • Explore the famous Kelpies , the Falkirk Wheel and Callendar House
  • Take in unique views of the historic Callendar House and Park
  • Travel by saloon car
  • Small private group tour with a maximum of 4 people

Our tour of Falkirk features a visit to the world famous Kelpies , the Falkirk Wheel and Callendar House.

Andy Scott, the artist responsible for the Kelpies, said: “I’m delighted that The Kelpies have reached out to a new audience and that they have been recognised with such an evocative and dynamic Mandarin name.

“It’s a real accolade for me as the artist and the whole team involved in The Kelpies that they have been adopted for the VisitBritain campaign and been so well received in China.

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iPhone 7 cases

Apple have announced the much-anticipated iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Physically, the new phones are quite similar to their predecessors, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. But does that mean cases designed for the last iPhones are compatible with the new iteration?

Sadly , no. Most users upgrading to the new devices will still have to purchase new cases.

The dimensions of the new iPhones are similar enough to the old versions, but there is one notable difference: the size of the camera. Here’s a comparison of Apple’s own official iPhone cases

Certain non-Apple cases for the iPhone 6S may be compatible, but most of them likely are sized for the old device’s camera. Bryan Hynecek, VP of design at accessories company Speck, tells Quartz that while old cases “may appear to fit the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, they won’t correctly fit the new iPhone’s stereo speakers and dual camera system” and that the company also recommends a case made specifically for the new model for better protection.

To save the additional expense, you could always opt to go without a case. But that’s not a good idea people who purchase the device in its new jet black color. According to Apple, that particular colour’s “high shine may show fine micro-abrasions with use.” Read: tons of scratches.

Choose a unique iPhone 7 case from our collection

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Eilean Donan Castle tours

Eilean Donan Castle is the jewel in the crown of Scottish castles with its fairytale setting and a long and colourful history stretching back many centuries .
Eilean donan castle poster
Eilean Donan Castle poster , Giant A3 size , 16 by 11 inches , just £3.95 including free UK delivery .
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This image is also available in a larger size as a poster to US and UK customers on RedbubblePictures of the castle have been published in hundreds of calendars , books and websites. Castle pictures.com has ńow published its own castle poster. The Scottish castles collection features pictures of Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland by photographer David Rankin.Our original image of Eilean Donan Castle is now available as a poster .

Eilean Donan Castle means Island of Donan (a religious figure from the 12th century). Eilean Donan was Clan MacKenzie’s most important stronghold from the 13th Century until it was destroyed in 1719. Robert the Bruce was given refuge in Eilean Donan Castle by John MacKenzie, Second of Kintail when he was being hunted by the English at the beginning of the fourteenth century.

Eilean Donan Castle HDR Christmas print

Above the entrance to the castle there is a Gaelic inscription which translates as: As long as there is a MacRae inside, there will never be a Fraser outside. Inside the courtyard is the famous Murchison Stone with an inscription about John Murchison of Auchtertyre who was killed in the Battle of Sherrifmuir in 1715. In the upper floor inside the castle there are six bedrooms named Loch Alsh,Loch Long, Eilean Donan, Ballimore, Loch Duich and Conchra. There is also a panel with the names of the constables ( guardians ) of the castle carved on it.

Eilean Donan Castle was originally built in 1220 and owned by the MacKenzies of Kintail. The MacRae Clan who settled in the area came from the Beauly Firth where they had protected the Clan Fraser.They acted as bodyguards to the MacKenzie chiefs. Although there was a number of disputes, the MacKenzies held Eilean Donan right up until until the 16th century. The MacRaes first became Constables of the Castle in 1511 with a lot of control over the surrounding area. A feud between the MacKenzies and the McLeods of Dunvegan, over the disputed claims of Donald Gorm MacDonald to the title of Lord of the Isles, came to a head when he attacked the Castle with 50 galleys. He was shot and killed by Duncan MacRae with a single arrow. The Castle was garrisoned by Government troops but later retaken by the Jacobites before the Battle of Sheriffmuir.

In 1719 it was held by Spanish Jacobites. Three English frigates sailed into Loch Duich and bombarded the castle with cannon fire until it was in ruins. The castle them lay in ruins for nearly 200 years. In 1911 John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the castle and start work to restore the castle over a period of twenty years at a total cost of a quarter of a million pounds. Local materials were used wherever possible.

More recently the castle featured in the film Highlander and a James Bond movie.

Eilean Donan Castle is on an island in the middle of 3 lochs – Loch Alsh, Loch Long and Loch Duich – and surrounded by the mountains of the Highlands. If you climb the hill overlooking the castle you can see the Isle of Skye. The castle is next to the village of Dornie and about 10 miles from the Kyle of Lochalsh and the bridge to the Isle of Skye to the North. The castle is on the west coast of Scotland, about 90 miles north of Glencoe and about 180 miles from Edinburgh. You can take the train from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh and take a taxi to the castle. There is a bus route from Glasgow past the castle once a day. There are many bus tours from Edinburgh to the castle.

Due to a change in Scots law it is now possible to get married in a Scottish castle. Wedding receptions can be held inside the castle . The castle is open most of the year and it is run by the Conchra Charitable Trust.

Eilean Donan Castle poster , Giant A3 size , 16 by 11 inches , just £3.95 including free UK delivery .

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Eilean Donan Castle gifts are  available in a variety of sizes as a poster, postcard, ornament and tie to US and UK customers on Redbubble

Scotland tours from Edinburgh

 

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Dxo one camera attachment for iPhone

The DxO ONE is claimed to be a revolutionary camera that delivers DSLR image quality in an extremely compact size. At 3.8 oz (108 g) and 2.65″ (6.9 cm) tall, the DxO ONE is so small that it easily fits in a pocket, yet it features an ultra-high quality f/1.8, 32mm equivalent aspherical lens with a variable 6-blade iris and a 1-inch 20.2MP CMOS BSI sensor capable of capturing high-resolution images even in very low light.

The DxO One is for advanced photographers who focus on photo quality. The fixed 32mm-equivalent focal-length lens will limit the audience for it to some extent . Having said that , so will  the £500 price tag  for it . In the UK delivery is planned for Q4 2015 . The problem is you can get quite a decent DSLR for £500 with interchangeable lenses .

Sony’s  Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV is a  compact camera featuring the same 20.1-megapixel 1″ Exmor RS CMOS back-illuminated sensor to produce high-resolution still images but also capable of recording 4K video. The built-in Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 2.9x zoom lens provides a 24-70mm (35mm equiv.) range, covering wide-angle to portrait-length. The f/1.8-2.8 maximum aperture is great for high quality low light photography. This camera sells for £850 at the moment , making it an interesting choice for photographers.

20.1 MP (effective) 1.0-type Exmor RS CMOS sensor
The world’s first2 1.0-type stacked CMOS image sensor with DRAM chip enables up to 40x super slow motion and up to 1/32000 sec. super-high-speed shutter beyond human perception. The extended circuit features higher signal processing capacity and more than five times faster3 high-speed readout than conventional models.

The DxO One is the company’s first venture into consumer hardware; DxO  is well known for working with phone manufacturers on embedded imaging, but is more commonly known for its DxO OpticsPro raw-processing and DxO FilmPack effects software as well as its lens- and sensor-testing hardware and testing database.

1-inch 20.2MP CMOS BSI sensor may be of great interest to serious photographers

The DxO One lies somewhere in between the iPhone’s camera and DSLRs . It probably need to be priced around £250 to get serious interest from photographers who want something more the iPhone pics.

Made of high-grade aluminum, the DxO ONE is a premium camera that has been engineered with the iPhone and iPad® in mind: it attaches via the Lightning™ connector, turning the beautiful iPhone display into the camera’s viewfinder. The camera swivels 60 degrees in either direction, enabling creative perspectives ie selfies . . This may be the most expensive selfie camera in the world .

The DxO ONE achieves a DxOMark Sensor Score of 70, and up to 85 when using the SuperRAW™ technology (described below), on par with full frame DSLRs and dramatically higher than any smartphone.  DxOMark is the industry-standard protocol for camera and lens image quality assessment, used throughout the camera industry and photography press.

“The image quality of the DxO ONE is stunning,” said Jerome Meniere, CEO and founder of DxO. “It’s possible to shoot crystal-clear images under moonlight, which is incredible for a camera this small. The shallow depth of field and bokeh of the lens at f/1.8 is absolutely perfect for portrait photography.”

A free iOS app enables control of the individual settings on the DxO ONE camera, including aperture (from f/1.8 to f/11), shutter speed (from 15s to 1/8000s), and ISO (from 100 to 51200). In addition to an Auto mode, the DxO ONE app offers various capture modes, including multiple Scene modes, Speed, Aperture Priority, or full Manual mode – and the camera interface automatically adapts to the selected mode for a unique user experience.

The DxO ONE also records outstanding videos at 1080p/30fps or 720p/120fps.

In addition to the built-in microSD™ memory card, photos or video can be automatically stored in the iOS camera roll, where they are immediately displayed on the iPhone’s or iPad’s beautiful high-resolution screen, and can be instantly shared to Facebook®, Instagram®, and Twitter®, leveraging the iPhone’s natural connectivity.

By default, the DxO ONE automatically keeps the valuable high-dynamic RAW ‘digital negative’ files, enabling post-production editing flexibility in RAW conversion programs like DxO OpticsPro and Adobe® Lightroom®.

For the ultimate in noise-free image quality – even in very low light – users can choose to capture images in DxO’s new SuperRAW format. A SuperRAW file is the result of 4 RAW frames captured in quick succession. When the DxO ONE camera is connected to a Mac or PC, the DxO Connect companion software automatically merges the four images together using the very latest in spatial and temporal noise reduction.

“The DxO ONE leverages all of the imaging technologies that we’ve been perfecting for well over a decade,” explained Frederic Guichard, DxO’s Chief Image Scientist. “It brings together mobile imaging miniaturization technologies with a large 1-inch sensor and state-of-the-art software image processing.”

“Being image lovers at DxO, we have built the camera we dreamed of for ourselves and could not find anywhere else: uncompromised image quality always available in our pocket,” concluded Jerome Meniere, CEO and founder of DxO. “We believe that, as the first truly connected camera, the DxO ONE opens a completely new era in digital imaging and we can’t wait to see what incredible images photographers around the world will be able to create with it.”

 

The DxO ONE is offered at a price of £500 . For a limited time, the DxO ONE comes with free licenses of two award-winning RAW image processing software, DxO OpticsPro (ELITE Edition, sold separately for $199), and DxO FilmPack (ELITE Edition, sold separately for$129), which digitally reproduces the look and feel of analog films

 

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the Kelpies sculptures celebrate their first anniversary

The Kelpies sculptures have become Scotland’s best known cultural landmarkfree Kelpies screensavers 503 and today they celebrate their  first anniversary.

 The Kelpies sculptures were open to the public in April last year. An exhibition of local schools kids artwork celebrating The Kelpies and The John Muir Way will also be unveiled by Kelpie artist Andy Scott. The artwork will be on display inside The Kelpies for three weeks afterwards for tour guests to admire.

 Glasgow artist Andy Scott designed the Kelpies, with construction work on the 300-tonne, 98ft (30m) steel figures starting in 2013.

The completion of the £5 million venture marked a significant stage in the £43 million Helix project, which aims to transform 865 acres of land between Falkirk and Grangemouth.

The redevelopment was expected to attract an additional 350,000 visitors and add £1.5 million in annual tourism spend to the area, according to those behind the project.

 The number of visitors to the area are expected to reach 1 million by May 2015   .

The Easter holidays have seen bumper crowds coming to the Kelpies with families coming from all over Scotland to see the sculptures and take the tour.

 . Work has started on a new visitor centre featuring Kelpies gifts at the Kelpies which should be completed in a few months time .

 
Visit the Kelpies for a great day out .

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The Kelpies are renamed “glorious armoured giant horses”

The Kelpies have become the most famous equine sculptures in the world . But now they have been given another name to make them more attractive to Chinese tourists.

VisitBritain, which markets the UK abroad, has dubbed them ‘Kai Po Ju Ma’ in promotional literature in China – which translates as “glorious armoured giant horses”.

It follows the results of a £1.6 million ‘Great Names for Great Britain’ campaign, which builds on the existing trend of giving relatable Mandarin names to favourite celebrities, places and foods.

 “Kai Po Ju Ma” have set records with over 600,000 in their first year of opening . A new visitor centre is being built to help cope with the influx of visitors and improve their experience at the sculptures.

New Mandarin names for 23 iconic Scottish attractions have been announced in total, including Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and Glencoe.

The campaign reached nearly 300 million Chinese prospective visitors to the UK through VisitBritain’s influential Weibo and WeChat social media platforms across China. Over two million people visited the campaign pages and nearly 30 million Chinese people watched the launch video, with 13,000 new names suggested throughout the ten week-long voting period.

Andy Scott, the artist responsible for the Kelpies, said: “I’m delighted that The Kelpies have reached out to a new audience and that they have been recognised with such an evocative and dynamic Mandarin name.

“It’s a real accolade for me as the artist and the whole team involved in The Kelpies that they have been adopted for the VisitBritain campaign and been so well received in China. Download our free Kelpies screensaver

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The Kelpies – a second impression

Kelpies at Helix park , Grangemouth

The Kelpies  in the Helix Park have been open to the public for over 6 months now .The project has been very successful , bringing in over 1 million visitors to the area . For anyone planning to visit Falkirk , the Kelpies are a must see .
The Kelpies are positioned in between the old and the new , the Forth and Clyde Canal on the left and the M9 motorway on right.
They were inspired by the Clydesdale horses that used to pull boats full of freight along canal. In the 19th century , the canals were the motorways of Britain .

Each Kelpie is 50 metres high and made of steel plates welded onto a framework , like armour plating. More than 600 tonnes of steel was used in the construction of the The Kelpies and more than 10,000 special fixtures are used to hold them together.
The two sentinels guard the canal , the first Kelpie looks calm, looking straight ahead and focussed on its load , the second is rearing its head into the sky as if angry or unhappy with its load.
Sculptor Andy Scott has spent 8 years on the project and a couple of times he thought the whole thing was going to be scrapped due to its cost.

The original aim of the project was to transform waste land between Falkirk and Grangemouth into a thriving urban greenspace , “The Helix”. This includes a performance area, on which large scale events can be held, facilities for watersports provided by a large lagoon, all surrounded by play areas and high quality pathways. Access around The Helix is provided by 17 miles  of cycleways and footpaths.

Questions continue to be raised about the return on investment for the project . The Kelpies have proved themselves a major tourist attraction in the same way the Falkirk Wheel is , but with no visitor centre the fear is visitors may spend little or nothing in the area .Falkirk Council has asked the Falkirk Community trust why a visitor centre was not included in the plans , but the Trust were unable to explain this . There are rumours about concerts being held in the performance area next year , which would bring in revenue to the area just like the recent concerts by  Elton John and Rod Stewart across the road at the Falkirk stadium .  Callendar Park  used to host the Big in Falkirk music and arts festival .
The final element of the Helix is a giant 
playpark. A set of 
giant wooden tepee-like structures have been built in the adventure zone.

Hundreds of Kelpies gifts are available on Redbubble.

Download our free Kelpies screensavers