A not very exciting, but somewhat frustrating day of travelling. We had a rather leisurely morning because we didn’t have to catch the bus until 10:00 and had basically packed up the night before. All there was to do was the housekeeping kind of things to leave the Air B&B in good shape. We hopped the bus from Kingsbarns into St.Andrews, no issues. Caught the bus that would take us to Kincardine then on to Falkirk. Unfortunately, the first bus had some mechanical issue with the cargo door that required us to switch to another bus. Headed off on the second bus only to have something go wrong with the gearbox which would not allow the bus to accelerate. Switched to another bus and headed off to Falkirk. This would have been no problem except that Merr and Karen were only going to Falkirk to see the Kelpies and then heading back to Edinburgh because they are heading home tomorrow. So they had a very quick look at them. It wasn’t so bad for Anne and I as we are staying in Falkirk for the night, but I felt bad for Karen and Merr to have had so little time to see them. And as it turned out, their trip back into Edinburgh was no more a picnic than our trip to Falkirk!
We finally made it to our hotel in Falkirk, dropped all of our bags and hoofed it over to the Kelpies, which are only a ten minute walk away. The Kelpies are two gigantic horses’ heads meant to represent two kelpies. In Scottish folklore, a kelpie is a dangerous shape-shifting water creature that can appear on land as a horse. The kelpie appears to their human victims as a grey or white horse, entices them to ride on their back, then carries them down to a watery grave. They represent the lineage of the heavy horse in Scottish industry and economy. They truly are impressive, whether from a distance or up close. This year happened to be the tenth anniversary of their installation.
Merr and Karen left to return to the hotel, grab their bags and head off to Edinburgh. Anne and I spent a little more time at the Kelpies, then returned to our hotel. Since our accommodations are basically in the middle of an industrial area, the only nearby option for dinner was McDonalds, so that’s where we went. Holiday dining at its finest!
We went back to the hotel to digest our sumptuous meal, then headed back over to the Kelpies to see them all lit up at night. As spectacular as they are during the day, they are even more so at night. I had seen them on our last trip to Scotland in 2019, but had not had the chance to view them at night. So glad we did this side trip!