tarboat's photos with the keyword: forth and clyde canal

Kelpie - a water spirit of Scottish folklore, typically taking the form of a horse and reputed to delight in the drowning of travellers. The Kelpies are horse-head sculptures standing next to the extension of the Forth and Clyde Canal. The sculptures were designed by Andy Scott and were completed in October 2013. They 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 are a monument to horse powered heritage across Scotland. Built of structural steel with a stainless steel cladding, The Kelpies are 30 metres high and weigh 300 tonnes each and form the largest equine sculpture in the world. The site has become a major tourist attraction and was very busy when I visited. The various tea rooms were very welcome after walking down from Falkirk.

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The wheel raises boats by 24 metres (79 ft), and is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world. It was fully constructed and assembled at the Butterley Engineering plant in Ripley, Derbyshire. The structure was then dismantled in the summer of 2001, and transported on 35 lorry loads to Falkirk, before being reassembled into five sections on the ground and lifted into place. The caissons or gondolas carry a combined weight of 500 tonnes of water and boats, with the gondolas themselves each weighing 50 tonnes. The official opening was in 2002.