General News 21 June 2024

Exclusive Private Tours Launched at Iconic Scottish Tourist Attraction The Kelpies 

One of Scotland’s top five-star visitor attractions, The Helix, Home of The Kelpies, has launched exclusive private tours of the world-renowned equine structures.

Celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, the new bespoke tours of The Kelpies offer visitors a unique and intimate experience.

Situated between Falkirk and Grangemouth, The Kelpies, standing at 30 meters tall and weighing over 300 tonnes each, were constructed as the focal point of The Helix Park in 2014. Since their installation, The Kelpies have become an iconic symbol of Scotland, welcoming over seven million visitors from all over the world.

The newly launched exclusive tours of The Kelpies offer an intimate and personalised experience of the immense sculptures and can be booked at a convenient time during opening hours. The tours are led by an expert guide. Visitors can see these striking structures up close, learn about the inspiration behind them, their significance to Scottish culture, the meticulous craftsmanship that brought them to life and the complexity of the engineering process. The bespoke tours culminate in an exclusive view of the structures from the inside.

The inspiration behind Andy’s Scott’s design, Clydesdale horses made a significant contribution to Scotland’s agricultural and industrial heritage. Modelled on two particular Clydesdale horses, Duke and Baron,  Clydesdales were the power behind numerous local industries, agriculture and day-to-day transport. With the breed now listed as vulnerable by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, and less than 900 Clydesdales left in Scotland, the Kelpies provide a lasting legacy to their tremendous contribution to Scottish working life. 

Lesley O’Hare, Culture and Greenspace Manager at Falkirk Council, said: “Our guided tours of The Kelpies have always been popular, attracting visitors from all around the world. Our new bespoke private tours provide a magical, tailored experience with exclusive access and dedicated attention from our expert guides. This allows visitors to explore at their own pace and delve deeper into what interests them most about The Kelpies.”

The Helix, originally created as a space for the communities in the Falkirk area to come together, was awarded five-star visitor attraction status by Visit Scotland and won the ‘Best Visitor Attraction Experience’ at the 2023 Visit Scotland National Thistle Awards. It is estimated that The Kelpies at The Helix have helped to generate an additional £67 million in ‘visitor spend’ in the area.

Helix Park, which has a Green Tourism Gold award, is free for visitors, and offers significant amounts of green space and a wealth of things to do, including 27km of traffic free, wheelchair friendly, paths for walking, running, or cycling, an adventure zone playpark, splash play area and sensory play area. After exploring the Park, visitors can warm up in the Visitor Centre and take time to explore the gift shop. 

Find out more about the exclusive tours of The Kelpies here.