Honouring the horses, from nd The Kelpies to pit ponies
The castle, Arthur’s Seat, Princes Street, The Botanics, The Shore, all of these Edinburgh landmarks were potential places to take my visitors from Yorkshire but they have other plans. “These horses,” they say, brandishing a leaflet they’ve picked up at Waverley station. “They look amazing. We want to go and see them.”
So I rip up my itinerary and drive my aunty and cousins to Falkirk to visit The Kelpies, Andy Scott’s impressive iron horse head sculpture which up till now I’d only viewed in passing from the M9. Shame on me, but I’m grateful to Scott for providing such a stunning vista for those busy doing something else. Today, however, I’m a tourist and have time to fulfil my ambition of seeing them up close.
Being a rainy weekday morning we have the sculptures almost to ourselves ahead of this week’s tenth anniversary celebrations which take place today, comprising a full day of free family fun activities and an evening spectacular with Rebecca Vasmant, Callum Beattie and the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, with a family ceilidh, mass pipe band demonstrations and best of all, guests of honour Clydesdale horses.
“Beautiful” and “stunning” my family murmur as we do circuits and selfies, admire the ironwork, the construction and artistry, look up nostrils, marvel at the manes.
“Why did he make them?” they ask.
“To honour the horses, the work they did, especially Clydesdales.”
“Quite right,” says my aunty, then we gallop back to the car, ready for their next destination.
“Culross,” declares my cousin. “We’ll go over this bridge, the Kincardine, then through Fife, then back over the Forth bridges.” “Outlander. He’s watched it all,” says my aunty. “I might start at the beginning again,” he says, “ready for the last series,” as we trot around the cobbled streets, admiring the 17th century step-gabled houses and he ticks off the scenes, till finally we lean on the seawall overlooking the bay.
“Horses again,” says my aunty, reading a sign about mining in and around the Forth. “Your grandad were a pony handler down the pit. And his father, and his before him. They loved the ponies. Took right good care of them.”
“Hard lives, in the dark – for all those people and horses,” I say, appreciating the sun on my face.
“Yes. He’d have loved The Kelpies.”
Celebrate Kelpies 10 today; daytime events are free, with evening events ticketed, from £24.50 plus booking fee, www.thehelix.co.uk
We have the sculptures to ourselves ahead of today’s tenth anniversary celebrations