The Kelpies at Dusk – Lit Horses and a Curry Supper
A few hours.
The route
The Kelpies are two steel horses' heads, 30 metres tall, standing over the Forth and Clyde Canal at the Helix near Falkirk, and they are at their most magical at dusk, when the lights come on inside them.
Walking round them is free, at any hour. Supper is in Stirling, at Indian Cottage, a curry house at the foot of Dumbarton Road. It's a lovely autumn or winter evening for couples, friends and older children.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Cromlix, 8 miles away.
Book a table at Indian Cottage online or on 01786 478889 for about an hour after sunset, open every day until 10pm (10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 9.30pm on Sundays): it recommends booking ahead, especially at weekends.
The day
The Kelpies
It's an evening out to see the Kelpies as the daylight goes and their lights come up. Then a 27-minute drive into Stirling for a curry.
About three hoursAbout 0.5 miles on foot
The Kelpies
An attraction
The Kelpies stand in the Helix, a park by the M9 near Falkirk. Park in the Kelpies car park, the one nearest the sculptures, about 0.2 miles from them. It charges from March to October and is free from November to February. It is locked at 8pm from November to March and at 10pm from April to October, with no way out until 8am, so be back at the car in good time. Andy Scott's two horses' heads are 30 metres tall and named after the water spirits of Scottish legend; they stand either side of a canal lock, and you can walk right round them on level paths at any hour. Come about half an hour before sunset and stay as the sky darkens and the lights inside them come on. This works best from October to March, when dusk falls before suppertime; in midsummer it comes long after.
27 min by car
Indian Cottage
Supper
Then drive 27 minutes to Stirling for supper at Indian Cottage, 11 Dumbarton Road, a curry house cooking Punjabi dishes, tandoori grills and biryanis, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices. It's open every evening until 10pm, 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 9.30pm on Sundays. Book online or on 01786 478889, especially at weekends. Children are welcome, dogs are not, and the entrance is said to be step-free.
If it rains
The Kelpies stand in the open, so on a wet evening keep the visit short, look at them lit from the car park path, and go on to supper early.
