Kelpies at Falkirk

[nicknorman]

We took a drive down to Falkirk today to check out the Kelpies at the new lock from Forhpth &Clyde canal down onto the R. Carron. We were rewarded by low winter sun, so a few pics were forthcoming:

 

by -nick.norman-

 

by -nick.norman-

 

by -nick.norman-

 

by -nick.norman-

Edited December 1, 2013 by nicknorman

[Naughty Cal]

They do look amazing.

[nicknorman]

They are facing the motorway so I think would look better from there - if risking a pile-up!

[Naughty Cal]

I like the first shot.

[nicknorman]

Unfortunately just an iPhone, so digitally zoomed hence poor resolution, but the Ochils in the background look good.

[Odana]

New lock....?

We have a hire boat holiday booked from Falkirk next June and my dad on board who insists on cruising dawn to dusk even in midsummer Scotland, so all extra locks etc will be explored if possible!

[nicknorman]

I don't think its open yet, but the old one is still operational.

 

You can only cruise dawn to dusk where there are no locks or swing / lift bridges because Scottish Canals train-set may only be played with under supervision and during office hours!

Edited December 1, 2013 by nicknorman

[ditchcrawler]

Do they nod as the lock fills which is what I thought they were supposed to do. They didn't mention it on the TV

[nicknorman]

No, according to Haggis that was the original plan, but subsequently deemed as "too difficult" which, when you see how big they are, is not too surprising.

[sueb]

New lock....?

We have a hire boat holiday booked from Falkirk next June and my dad on board who insists on cruising dawn to dusk even in midsummer Scotland, so all extra locks etc will be explored if possible!

 

We have a holiday booked 9th June

[haggis]

Super photos, Nick. I understand that the official opening of the new bit of canal (through the lock between the Kelpies) is next April and we are looking forward to attending with Gamebird, our little Sea Otter. When we went to look at the Kelpies (by car) a few weeks ago, we couldn't get access to walk below the M9 and we couldn't find any road access to the new bit of canal between the Kelpies and the Firth of Forth. Can you now walk on the towpath below the M9? if so, we must go back for another visit.

 

haggis

[RLWP]

Thanks for those photos, Nick. I'm very impressed with those

 

Richard

[nicknorman]

Not as far as we could tell. You can just walk to the old sea lock, on the opposite bank from the Kelpies. It's still a building site around the new lock.

[steven wilkinson]

I am not usually a big fan of public art, but I would drive up there specifically to see these! Thanks for the photos Nick!

[Keith M]

very impressive pictures

[wullie]

I think you can get access if you drive towards Falkirk from M9, they are an a great site as you are coming down motorway, they just sort to start to appear and it just gets better as you approach them, but you have to take care as said on here they draw the eye, not good for driver safety, we stay quite near to Falkirk and always have a great time at the wheel and canal area superb day out.

[haggis]

When we went to see the Kelpies, we parked at the sea lock and walked round what was a building site with lots of bits fenced off. We could see the canal and towpath going under the motorway but couldn't get to it. We then drove down to Grangemouth docks, exploring lots of side roads on the way but we didn't find the new bit of canal which runs, I believe, along side the River Carron.

 

haggis

[nicknorman]

When we went to see the Kelpies, we parked at the sea lock and walked round what was a building site with lots of bits fenced off. We could see the canal and towpath going under the motorway but couldn't get to it. We then drove down to Grangemouth docks, exploring lots of side roads on the way but we didn't find the new bit of canal which runs, I believe, along side the River Carron.

 

haggis

I have looked on line for any detail of where the new cut goes etc, but can find nothing on either the helix, or the Scottish canals website. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but it seems odd that it's so hard to find!

[John Foster]

The new cut can be seen well with new lock as it goes under the road from grangemouth to skinflats. Easy to park just short of bridge. Not sure if you can get access yet to towpath as its not open yet.

 

Fozzie

[Up-Side-Down]

I have looked on line for any detail of where the new cut goes etc, but can find nothing on either the helix, or the Scottish canals website. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but it seems odd that it's so hard to find!

 

If you head for Junction 6 of the M9 and then take the A905 north you will cross the River Carron after approx 1/4 mile, on the Kerse Bridge. This was the biggest obstacle on the the approach to the 'Old' sea lock – you needed sufficient water to clear the sea lock cill upstream, whilst still having sufficient headroom to get under this somewhat low road crossing: something of a navigational conundrum!

 

A new lift bridge is under construction at the southern end of the Kerse Bridge, over the new 1 Km length of canal which joins the Carron just east (downstream) of the (chemical) pipe bridge, via the new lock. There is a minor road, heading east, along the north bank of the Carron, followed by a track which takes you to a point on the river's north bank opposite the new sea lock. I've been along there once or twice for pictures and a general nosey.

 

A quick look on Google will clarify this!

[nicknorman]

Thanks, I guess we'll have to visit again once it's all open.

[Up-Side-Down]

For those with access to back numbers of Waterways World, there is an article about the Helix on page 88 of the May 2012 issue, giving a fairly good idea of what is what.

 

A couple of pictures of the Kerse Road Bridge – one with a Dutch Barge negotiating it (just) – demonstrate why a new section of canal, bypassing this obstruction, was desperately required!

[Lampyrichard]

I have looked on line for any detail of where the new cut goes etc, but can find nothing on either the helix, or the Scottish canals website. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough, but it seems odd that it's so hard to find!

The only online resource that seems to have any useful information is Falkirk council's planning dept...

 

There are 112 supporting documents for the 2011 planning application:

 

http://eplanning.falkirk.gov.uk/online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=LI6RYBHC4X000

 

 

The easiest ones to work out what's going where are probably the Kelpie pool layout:

 

http://eplanning.falkirk.gov.uk/online/files/0B433D59F50DC5E6DCB343BD8B9D8037/pdf/P_11_0154_FUL-_Approved_02__Layout_of_Canal_Hub___Kelpies-190842.pdf

 

and the canal extension layout:

 

http://eplanning.falkirk.gov.uk/online/files/0F2080DA5745C6E03693EA4BD9F8EC50/pdf/P_11_0154_FUL-Canal_Extension_Layout-445937.pdf

 

Also on the list are canal sections & drawings of the new sea lock arrangements plus proposed details of the visitors' centre (which afaik still has no funding). It really seems a shame that none of this was put onto the Helix site to show the wider World what's going on.

 

Richard

 

edited because I got the links wrong...

Edited December 2, 2013 by Lampyrichard

[nicknorman]

The only online resource that seems to have any useful information is Falkirk council's planning dept...

 

There are 112 supporting documents for the 2011 planning application:

 

http://eplanning.falkirk.gov.uk/online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=LI6RYBHC4X000

 

 

The easiest ones to work out what's going where are probably the Kelpie pool layout:

 

http://eplanning.falkirk.gov.uk/online/files/0B433D59F50DC5E6DCB343BD8B9D8037/pdf/P_11_0154_FUL-_Approved_02__Layout_of_Canal_Hub___Kelpies-190842.pdf

 

and the canal extension layout:

 

http://eplanning.falkirk.gov.uk/online/files/0F2080DA5745C6E03693EA4BD9F8EC50/pdf/P_11_0154_FUL-Canal_Extension_Layout-445937.pdf

 

Also on the list are canal sections & drawings of the new sea lock arrangements plus proposed details of the visitors' centre (which afaik still has no funding). It really seems a shame that none of this was put onto the Helix site to show the wider World what's going on.

 

Richard

 

edited because I got the links wrong...

Thanks richard, in fact I found this one to give the best overview:

http://eplanning.falkirk.gov.uk/online/files/92E1E542E108D356E796A165269AE566/pdf/P_11_0154_FUL-Location_Plan-445938.pdf

 

Seems odd that there is nothing equivalent on the helix or Scottish canals websites.

[magpie patrick]

curmudgeon time I'm afraid, although I'll start by saying they are very, very impressive and will be a huge boost to the area.

 

They were indeed supposed to rock as part of a process for operating the lock. the lock was to be a displacement lock which was filled and emptied by moving water between the chamber and side-tanks: as the tanks filled, a piston would rise causing each kelpie to rock in one direction, as the tanks emptied (to refill the lock) the piston would fall causing the kelpies to reverse the movement. I suspect this was not strictly mechanically required, but it was a selling point.

 

The canal and the kelpies got their funding against considerable competition at least in part based on this link between them: without it, the canal didn't need the kelpies and the kelpies had no functional purpose and didn't "need" the canal. Possibly as a result of this, the Kelpies appeared on the front page of The Times last week with no mention of the canal scheme.

 

Now, I can guess exactly how this happened, a huge wedge of lottery funding awarded, and after a significant amount of it had been spent the schemes promoters had to go back and say "erm...". Someone in my position, a project monitor, then faced the dreadful prospect of pulling the plug or somehow fudging the issue, they did what I'd have done, chose the fudge and kept the rest of the "approved purposes" alive.

 

I do wonder if the visitor centre has gone the same way for a similar reason: as an outcome, that is arguably a bigger disappointment than the non-functioning bit.

 

So, they're very impressive, indeed I'll probably make the long journey from Somerset to see them, but the link between them and the canal has been broken, and that is what got them funded in the first place.

 

Edited because opposition wasn't what I meant!

Edited December 3, 2013 by magpie patrick