The mythical water horses, known as Kelpies, are the gateway for a park complex known as the Helix. The Helix connects many communities and has a spur canal connecting to the Forth and Clyde Canal. The canal opened in 1790 and connected the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Got that? It went across Scotland, in case that wasn't clear.
They are made from structural steel plates, clad with stainless steel. Just finished in 2013, they can be seen for some distance along the M9 highway just west of Edinburgh.
This is the spur canal which goes right between the two horses. The Kelpies represent the role horses have had in Scotland, as beast of burden for many years. The creatures are water borne horses which are not so nice. They look inviting and always have saddles on. But if you get on one, it will take you underwater or off somewhere and kill you or never return you. The Scottish bogeyman.
Here is the lock right between them. You can also see the size of the steel plates. If you look closely, you may see that one of those ground level plates is actually a door into the Kelpie. For maintenance of course.
A popular vacation theme is to rent a long boat and ride the canals. Here is one parked in the shadow of the Kelpies.
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