The Kelpies make for a great roadside pitstop when heading to (or from) the Scottish Highlands or as part of a day trip from Edinburgh or Glasgow. Unveiled in 2014, standing just under 100 feet tall and located within a community park known as The Helix, these giant horse sculptures quickly became a symbol of the town of Falkirk and the surrounding region. You can easily turn a quick pitstop into a longer adventure with a guided visit of the inside of the sculptures, a nice walk or bike ride along one of several scenic canal trails, or people-watching with a good cup of coffee. Below we present our Keplies Visiting Guide to help you get the most out of your time when visiting this unique and memorable attraction.
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Orientation – How to Get to The Kelpies
The Kelpies are located in The Helix park along the Forth & Clyde Canal, in Falkirk, Scotland. If coming from Edinburgh, it makes a great pitstop whether you are heading to the Trossachs, Glencoe, Skye, or anywhere in the Highlands really. They are located less than a 10-minute drive off the M9 motorway.
By Car: The Kelpies are located 45 km from Edinburgh, about a 50-minute drive away, and is located 40 km from Glasgow, about a 40-minute drive away
For advice and tips on how to drive in Scotland, check out our Scotland Roadtrip Driving Guide.
If you haven’t booked your rental vehicle yet, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Scotland.
Parking: You essentially have two options when parking to visit The Kelpies. The closest one is the Kelpies car park (a 5-minute walk away), and it costs a fixed price between £2 and £4 depending on the season and time of day, regardless of how long you stay in the park. Alternatively, if you don’t mind walking an extra 5 minutes, you can park at the Helix Car Park for free.
By Public Transit: Reaching The Kelpies by train or bus is not straightforward, generally requiring at least one transfer and a fair amount of walking, and generally takes upwards of 75 minutes from Edinburgh (90 minutes from Glasgow) to complete the journey.
By Group Tour: Another great way to visit the Kelpies from Edinburgh is to join one of several great organized group tours that are available.
The Kelpies Facts and History
- The Kelpies were designed by Glasgow-based artist Andy Scott and unveiled in April 2014. In a monumental feat of engineering, The Kelpies rose from the ground in just 90 days, in late 2013.
- The sculptures are based on mythical water horse creatures known in Scotland as Kelpies and also pay homage to the Clydesdale workhorses that in the past would pull barges along the canal.
- At 30 metres high (100 feet), the Kelpies at the Helix in Falkirk are the world’s largest equine sculpture.
- Each Kelpie weighs over 300 tonnes and both sit on foundations of 1200 tonnes.
- Each Keplie is made from 464 steel plates.
How Much Time Do You Need to Visit the Kelpies
The answer to that question really depends on you and how much this attraction is of interest to you. You can easily walk from the parking lot, wander around for 5 minutes, take some pictures, and then be on your way.
There are also several spots where you can take a seat and enjoy the scenery, perhaps while enjoying a nice cup of coffee from the Helix Café.
You can also join a 25-minute guided tour, which includes a visit inside the giant sculptures (you can only do this with a guided tour).
The Helix park also offers a network of winding pathways that meander through lush greenery and enchanting woodlands or that follow the canal banks.
Visiting The Kelpies
Although you can get a quick glimpse of the Kelpies while you drive by the town on the M9, seeing them up close in person is significantly more impressive. Even that distant view from the car park is quite impressive, where you only see the top of their heads over a hill.
From the Kelpie car park, it’s a short pleasant 5-minute walk towards the Kelpies. Just prior to reaching the sculptures, you will cross the Helix visitor center, which houses a gift shop, a small café, some exhibits and toilets. The exhibition section houses several small-scale models of famous landmarks (e.g. the Statue of Liberty, Tower of Pisa, the Sphinx) to illustrate their relative sizes to the Kelpies.
If you want to learn more about the Kelpies and see what they look like on the inside, we highly recommend joining a guided tour (details below).
Visiting information
Visiting the Kelpies: Free
Schedule: You can visit the Kelpies 24 hours a day. At night the Kelpies are lit up creating a beautiful display (which we sadly didn’t get to witness). However, the car park closes at 10 pm (8pm, November-March), and the Helix visitor Centre is only open from 9:30 am – 5 pm.
Guided Tour Tickets Prices: £7.50 (2024) and two children can go free with every paying adult.
Guided Tours Schedule:
November – March 10.30, 12.30 and 14.30
April – October 10.30, 11.30, 13.30, 14.30 and 15.30
You can pre-book your guided tour here.
Facilities: Helix Visitor Center: toilets, gift shop, exhibits and café.
Daily 9:30 am – 4 pm (Nov-March); 9:30 am -5 pm (April-October).
Nearby Sights and Activities
Blackness Castle
Blackness Castle is an impressive 15th-century castle beautifully positioned along the shores of the Firth of Forth. Often referred to as ‘the ship that never sailed’ due to its great stone ship appearance, these days the castle is known by many for its use as the setting for Fort William in Outlander. A very interesting castle to visit, and rarely as busy as some other more well-known castles in Scotland.
Blackness Castle is just a 25-minute drive from the Kelpies, roughly halfway between them and Edinburgh. For more information on visiting this castle, check out our Blackness Castle Visiting Guide.
Stirling Castle
Located in the nearby town of Stirling, this castle was honestly our favorite Castle to visit in Scotland. The large and imposing Stirling Castle is one of the most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. Mary Queen of Scots spent most of her life here, the castle changed hands between the British and the Scots many times, and William Wallace (the main character of Braveheart) played a key role in one of Scotland’s victories in reclaiming the castle. The guided tour of the castle was also one of the more interesting ones we experienced.
Stirling Castle is just a 25-minute drive from the Kelpies, roughly halfway between them and Edinburgh. For more information on visiting this castle, check out our Stirling Castle Visiting Guide.
Doune Castle
An imposing 14th-century courtyard castle in Doune, with a striking 100-foot high gatehouse and one of the best preserved great halls in Scotland. You are very likely to have seen Doune Castle in film or on TV, as it has been heavily featured in Month Python, was used as the Winterfell castle in the Game of Thrones pilot episode and has served as Castle Leoch in Outlander.
Recent research has shown that Doune Castle was originally built in the thirteenth century, then probably damaged in the Scottish Wars of Independence, before being rebuilt in its present form in the late 14th century.
Doune Castle is just a 30-minute drive from the Kelpies.
Highland Cows at Callander
A great spot to observe and take pictures of the famous Highland Cows (or the Hairy Coos as they are often referred to) is at the Trossachs Woollen Mill. This lovely gift shop is also home to three lovely hairy coos that you can visit and even feed if you would like! There’s also a small café on site.
The pictures shown above were taken from a farm along the side of the road, not far north from where the Trossachs Woollen Mill is located. However, since it wasn’t signposted or advertised, we haven’t been able to find the exact location on Google Maps unfortunately. If you are willing to drive up further north along the same road (A84) for 10-15 minutes (or if you are simply continuing along that road), you are likely to come across them.
The Wollen Mill is located a 40-minute drive northwest of The Kelpies.
Falkirk Wheel
The Falkirk Wheel was built as part of various projects to celebrate the millennium and was finalized in 2002. The Wheel is a great example of remarkable modern Scottish technical know-how and was designed to provide a link between two canals that are separated by 80 vertical feet: the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Union Canal. Historically these two canals were connected via a series of 11 locks, which were dismantled in the mid-20th century after falling into disuse.
At the visitor center, there is a cafe and a shop. here you can book a short canal boat journey up on the wheel and back. The Falkirk Wheel is just a 15-minute drive (8km) from the Kelpies.
Dunmore Pinneaple
If you are looking for an extra stop to add to your roadtrip itinerary, this unique attraction might be for you. The eccentric pineapple-shaped structure, built by the Earl of Dunmore in 1761 as a summer home, is just a 20-minute drive from the Kelpies.
Callendar House
Visit this French-renaissance-styled chateau located within the grounds of Callendar Park in Falkirk. The house lies on the line of the 2nd-century Antonine Wall, built by the Romans from the Firth of Clyde to the Firth of Forth. It now houses a public museum with permanent displays that tell the history of Callendar House and Falkirk District. During its 600-year history, Callendar House has hosted many prominent historical figures, including Mary, Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Victoria.
The Callendar House is a short 10-minute drive from the Kelpies.
Preparing a trip to Edinburgh and the lowlands?
You might be interested in these pages:
Best Day Trips From Edinburgh
Best Things to See and Do in Edinburgh
Best Stops and Attractions Between Skye and Glasgow
Best Things to See and Do in St Andrews
Preparing a trip to Scotland?
You might be interested in these Scotland pages:
10-Day Scotland Roadtrip Itinerary (Edinburgh and Highlands)
Scotland Driving Guide and Tips
7 of the Best Castles to Visit in Scotland
Best Things to See in the Scottish Highlands
Best Hikes to do in the Scottish Highlands
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steves Scotland
Lonely Planet Scotland’s Highlands
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
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e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our The Kelpies Visiting Guide and that it will prove useful for planning your trip to the beautiful Scottish Highlands.
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