Category: the Kelpies

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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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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