The mini-tour

Backblip

The weather forecast was still touch and go but we hatched a plan to visit some sights, because there were two spectacular things I wanted to show BikerBabe: the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel, and because BB enjoys canals.

Our ride out along the M8 and then M9 was at times soaking wet, the rain hammering on my winter gloves, but by the time we skirted Grangemouth it was sunny!  Opting for the luxury motorbike parking to save us walking quite so far in our clumpy boots, we wandered a short distance to meet The Kelpies, two monumental stainless steel horses. Monumental is right: they are 30 metres tall and weigh 300 tonnes each, and they are modelled after Clydesdale horses, which helped power Scotland's industry.  The area is a redevelopment called The Helix and is where the Forth and Clyde Canal meets the River Carron.  You can just see The Kelpies in the distance when you're on the train between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

From there it was just a few miles to the Falkirk Wheel, an equally impressive structure that re-connected the Union Canal, which runs from Edinburgh to Falkirk, with the Forth and Clyde Canal which goes to Glasgow and ultimately Bowling.  Dad and I visited the construction site back in 2000 or 2001 I think, before the Wheel itself had been erected.  It was still sunny, so we wandered all around and parked ourselves on a bench for a while to watch the boats going up and down.  Lunchtime came so we repaired to the cafe, found the corner table with the comfy seats, and watched the boats going up and down for another hour.

Our tour continued with a ride around the Forth, because we could!  I led us over the 1930s Kincardine Bridge that hasn't swung open for ships for the better part of 40 years.  I have a very vague memory of that section of road deck being open grating.  From there we took the swooping coastal road east through the picturesque village of Culross, we inspected a K6 telephone box that, to our great dismay, was not made by our Lion Foundry, and eventually parked ourselves on a little bench in North Queensferry, with a good view towards the Forth Bridge in one direction and the Forth Road Bridge and Queensferry Crossing in the other.  For most of an hour we chatted, watched trains rumbling over the Forth and little boats bobbing up and down on their mooring ropes.

Eventually we decided it was time to head back, so I led BB over the Queensferry Crossing and back round the western side of town and home for more cups of tea.

We had a carefully calculated hour left of the evening though so, now clad in civvies, BB fired up Biscuit, I climbed onboard as pillion, and we pop-popped our way to the nearby swimming pool for a dozen lengths and some quality time in the sauna!  The gauge on the wall said a hundred degrees, but I couldn't tell whether that was Fahrenheit or Celcius.  It was amazing, though.

Back home again after a little ride around, we had big plates of pasta which hit the spot too.