Giant Horse Head Sculptures in Scotland

The giant sculpture is towering 30 meters (approximately 100 feet) above the ground, The Kelpies consists of a pair of mammoth horse head sculptures installed by artist Andy Scott in Falkirk, Scotland. The Scottish artist almost spent a total of 9 years designing and then assembling the sculptures on-site, crafting steel parts into intricate busts that allude to the legendary Scottish water spirit that takes the form of a horse.

The Kelpies project was undergoing construction from long time in The Helix Park, but as these spectacular images taken by photographer dswain display us, the canal site has been transformed entirely to complement the dynamic grace of the sculptures since the installation was opened to the public in April 2014. Moreover; the colorful lights around and inside the steel works illuminate their superlative shapes in the darkness, additionally increasing the beauty of the Scottish landscape.

For artists, the project's location finally decided to in his father's hometown of Falkirk, the cultural tale of kelpies, and Scotland's industrial past compelled him to take on the project as a source of national pride. The Scott determined to build around a contemporary sculptural monument. Water-borne, towering gateways into The Helix, the Forth & Clyde canal and Scotland, translating the legacy of the area into honored equine guardians he say; I see The Kelpies as a personification of local and national equine history, of the lost industries of Scotland. I also visualize them as a symbol of modern Scotland full of pride and royal, of the people and the land. They’re the culmination of cutting edge technology and hand crafted artisanship, formed by our country's leading authorities through international partnerships."

Sgurr nan Gillean Scotland

Sgùrr nan Gillean is a 3162 feet (964 m) high mountain in the northern section of the Cuillin range on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, actually one of eleven Munros on the Cuillin ridge. The mountain is close to Sligachan, and its striking triangular profile is perceptible behind the Sligachan hotel, making it perhaps the most recognized peak in the Cuillin range. In November 2013 it was found that Knight's Peak is, in fact, six and a half inches too short to be classified as a Munro Top and is now considered a Corbett Top. Knight's Peak was named after W. Knight, who, with a guide, made the first recorded ascent in 1873.

Well, the most admired route of ascent is the Tourist Route, follows a path leading south from Sligachan, crossing a burn known the Allt Dearg Beag. This route continues up into a corrie, the Coire Rhiabhach. The ascent of the coire headwall is on loose rock and scree. The continuation up the southeast ridge to the summit is exposed, and calls for scrambling skill. The path up is very narrow so calls for single file when a party ascends. The top is a ridge which must be traversed to get to the final summit, and like the climb, requires few scrambling ability. Make sure, all sides are very exposed, and extra care is required if mist descends. The small airy summit platform is astonishingly flat and smooth with splendid views.

The other different route is the north ridge, recognized as Pinnacle Ridge, which is actually a rock climb that needs a climber to have a rope and harness and be skilled of abseiling, unless the third pinnacle is omitted by bypassing on the east side. Though rope is a sensible option for the moderate climb up Gillean, it is not necessary for Knight's Peak if the correct route is taken. So, to reach the base of the Pinnacle Ridge a climber starts in the similar place as for the route defined above but instead of crossing the burn continues up hill on the right hand side until just below the start of the Basteir gorge when the stream exiting the gorge is crossed to reach the base of the lowest pinnacle.

Another alternative route of ascent or descent is the West Ridge. The route leads from the summit down to a bealach separating Sgùrr nan Gillean from Am Basteir. About two-thirds of the way down, there is a particularly narrow and exposed section, which forms the remains of a large upright rock, known as the Gendarme which broke away due to the effects of frost shatter during the winter of 1986/87, leaving only the base. The narrow section can be avoided by abseiling down (or climbing up) a gully, known as Nicholson's Chimney, on the north side of the ridge.

Old Man of Storr in the Isle of Skye

The Old Man of Storr is located on the north of Skye in the area known as ‘Trotternish’. Here’re breathtaking photos of the Old Man of Storr in the Isle of Skye, Scotland There's a reason why this is one of the most snapped landscapes in the world. The Old Man Storr is a remarkable pinnacle of rock on the Ise of Skye in Scotland that's surrounded by fabulous views. Think rocky hills next to striking green grassy slopes and then visions of water beyond. The place is relatively easy walk and the hike to the pinnacle's foot is just 1 mile, especially for such a tremendous experience. Most day-trippers are content simply to meander around the Sanctuary, admiring the pinnacles and gazing up at The Storr's eastern cliffs. But the question is how did the rocky pinnacles form? 

The weight of basalt lava on sedimentary rocks of the earlier Jurassic age is the main reason of massive landslides. The hills are made of horizontal flows of the basaltic lava, built on top of each other. What's it like standing there? "The Isle of Skye is packed of magical places and this might be one of the most magical places for photographers. The pinnacles of rock are far more gigantic than this photograph conveys in low resolution. The full resolution shot reveals a head-high sign on the path and it is totally dwarfed by the Old Man’s gargantuan size. 

Walking between those titans is like living in a fantasy novel or more recently, a sci-fi film - one of the opening scenes from Prometheus was filmed here. It’s quite a place as well. For those of us who have yet to visit, here are some of dramatic photos of famous Old Man of Storr. Love how the otherworldly landscape takes on such a different feel as the seasons change. Hiking on this place is a great activity in Skye if the weather is good enough. The walk to the top is steep, and requires good shoes as it can be boggy in parts, but the view from the top is magnificent, so well worth it. Great walk for the dog however there are wild sheep roaming so keep pooches on a lead. The best sights are from the top of the cliffs to the east of the summit, from which you can look down on the tortured landslide topography where you left the crowds behind you half an hour ago.

Glenfinnan Viaduct the West Highland Line¸ Scotland

The beautiful Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct built between July 1897 and Oct 1898 on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. The project cost was around £18,904. It is situated at the top of Loch Shiel in the West Highlands of Scotland, and has been used as location in several films and television series. This project is considered great engineering work of largest concrete without reinforcing built by Sir Robert McAlpine. Sir Robert McAlpine took on a massive civil engineering task with the building of the Mallaig Extension of the West Highland Line from Fort William west to Mallaig, though that was not the originally intended destination. The 21-Arch single track viaduct forms part of the Mallaig extension of the West Highland Railway which was constructed in between 1897 till 1901, which is also built entirely of concrete.

It is a popular tourist event in the area, and the viaduct is one of the major attractions of the line, the lovely viaduct contains of 21 arches, each spanning 15m and has a maximum height of 30m proffering remarkable views down Lochaber’s Loch Shiel. These kinds of projects always offers great scarifications of labour work, and during construction a cart-horse and driver were killed when they fell into one of the piers while dumping their load, and were buried in the concrete. In the latest research has shown that the sad incident happened at Loch Nan Uamh Viaduct, further down the line, near Arisaig, and the driver survived. Memorial plaques are at the latter viaduct and at Glenfinnan Station Museum.

The West Highland railway line connects Fort William and Mallaig, and was a vital vein for the local fishing industry and the highlands economy in general, which suffered extremely after the Highland Clearances of the 1800s. The line is used by passenger trains operated by ScotRail between Glasgow Queen Street and Mallaig, usually diesel multiple units. The viaduct project was not often appreciated, and several authorities criticized when this viaduct was first proposed. According to them; it would be prove a monstrosity, enough in ugliness to take away all the charm and beauty of natural scenes. Some would endorse this opinion now and wholeheartedly agreed.