The Pencil

Largs is a town that sits on the Forth of Clyde in North Ayrshire. Largs prides itself on its viking history and many of the attractions of the seaside town are geared towards this such as Vikingar Centre which offers tourists an interactive experience of viking life.  The battle of Largs occurred in 1263 between Scottish forces led by Alexander of Dundonald, Steward of Scotland against Magnus Olafsson, King of Mann and the Isles, and the Norwegian King Haakon Haakonsson's (Haakon IV) viking forces.

During the 11th Century Alexander II and Alexander III attempted to incorporate Largs into their Scottish realm due to it being under Norse rule. After several failed purchase attempts the Scots began military operations to annex the Kingdom. This act of aggression by the Scots resulted in the Norse fleet occupying the Forth of Clyde.

Due to unforeseen circumstances and bad weather, part of the Norse fleet ended up beached in Largs. During an attempt to salvage these ships from the coastline the Scottish forces led by Alexander of Dundonald arrived and attacked the Norse. Although this has been somewhat romanticised as a great victory for the Scots, this was only a small contingent of the Norse fleet who the remainder of returned to Orkney due to the increasingly harsh winter weather conditions. King Haakon planned to return after winter and invade, but died there unexpectedly. His successor Magnus Haakonarson eventually leased the Western seaboard to Alexander III who then annexed the entire Western Isles following internal strife in Norway.

The Pencil monument as it is affectionately known due to its shape is a monument erected in 1912 to commemorate the Battle of Largs in 1263. Constructed by James Sandyford Kay it stands at 70 feet tall and overlooks the Marina just a mile south of Largs. The cost to build this? £300.00! Though this equates to around £30,000.00 by today's standards.

Although The Pencil is meant to mark the traditional site of the Battle of Largs, it is most likely not the most probable site where the battle took place. However, every year in autumn since 1981 The Largs Viking Festival has incorporated The Pencil into the annual festivities by using the location for a re-enactment of the battle.

Largs has closer ties to Norway than most places in Scotland because of the history surrounding the town and the previous Norse occupation of the lands, however the affinity between Norwegians and Largs does not end there. During the Nazi occupation of Norway, King Haakon VII was in exile in Britain during the second World War. Following his visit to Largs in 1944, he was made the town's first. honorary citizen.

The Kelpies

Today I went on a trip to a monument in Falkirk known as “The Kelpies”. The horses head statues are based in the Helix Park in Falkirk where they can be seen peering over the M9. This artwork stands at 100ft tall making this the largest public artwork in Scotland, as well as the largest horses head sculptures in the world. The name comes from Scottish legend behind the shape-shifting water monster that are said to have haunted streams and rivers and would usually appear in the form of a horse. A tour of the Kelpies is available where you can get to view the interior of the structure, as well as receive some background information about the history of why the location and purpose is far from coincidental. 

Built in 2013 the Kelpies pay homage to the horse powered heritage in Scotland. The reason for Falkirk being chosen as their location was not coincidental. Falkirk lies between the Union and Forth and Clyde canals which were the motorways of their time during the industrial era. Tow horses were used along the canals to transport cargo from East to West coast along the central belt in Scotland.

Designed by Glasgow-born sculptor, Andy Scott the Kelpies stand at 30 meters high and weigh 300 tonnes each. The construction time for this great project took only a few months and was complete by October 2013. To help raise funds and awareness for the final project Andy Scott designed two 1:10 scale maquettes which he went on tour with to various locations across Scotland. The choice to build the structure from steel was an intentional homage to Falkirk's steel industry which played a large role during the industrial era. 

The Kelpies have also been named by Andy Scott as "Head up Kelpie" and Head down Kelpie" though these have become more affectionately known to the public as Duke and Baron who were the two Clydesdale horses Andy Scott based the sculptures on. In regards to the significance of the structure Andy Scott exclaims:

"They will elevate Falkirk and Grangemouth to national and international prominence and foster a sense of pride and ownership. As a canal structure they will partner the iconic Falkirk Wheel, and echo its grandeur. They stand testament to the achievements of the past, a tribute to artisanship and engineering and a proud declaration of intent for the future of Scotland."

The tour allows an inside sneak peak of the Kelpies which only further illustrates how intricate this monument is. There's additional information inside regarding the construction of the Kelpies as well as concept art from Andy Scott. Upon completion of the project the two Clydesdale horses who inspired the Kelpies were brought to the official launch. Duke has left a memento inside his statue, his horse shoe which can be seen on the tour.

The cost of the tour is £7.50 for adults and free for children, although there are promotions throughout the year where this can be accessed free of charge. It is certainly a worthwhile part of Scottish culture that any budding tourist should come and visit due to it's great location along the central belt of Scotland. Falkirk itself is a town with a lot to offer to tourism in Scotland beyond the Kelpies. Falkirk is at the heart of the two canals which offer fantastic scenic views, but also the opportunity to see the Falkirk Wheel which has also contributed to the local and national economy through tourism.

Following the opening of the Kelpies in the Helix Park saw almost 1 million visitors in it’s first year. Although there has been criticism regarding the construction of the Kelpies due to the £5 million cost, the economic impact of the Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel have increased 51.6% since 2009 to over £100m per year making the £5m investment relatively small in the grand scheme of things which the investment being returned to the community many times over. 

This short video courtesy of dronecrews.co.uk shows a time-lapse of how the Kelpies were constructed.