UK Trip Day 18

Day 18 was one I had been looking forward to for ages, and it certainly delivered. First stop: The Kelpies. It was cold, wet and drizzly, but with jackets on and adventure in full swing, there was no way we were letting the weather get in the way. Standing at the base of these 30-metre-tall sculptures and looking up was incredibly impressive — their sheer scale is something you really have to see in person to appreciate.

Next up was the Falkirk Wheel, another stop I’d been especially keen to see after spotting it on a few different shows over the years. I had my fingers crossed we might get lucky enough to see a boat using it, and as it turned out, we arrived at exactly the right moment. A boatload of passengers was just boarding for a ride when Mum surprised us all by buying tickets, so naturally we jumped aboard too. There was a slight hiccup when our first boat had a malfunction, but after a quick morning tea break we were back on the next one and on our way. It was such a cool experience, and definitely one of those things that is even better in real life than it looks on screen.

Our third stop for the day was Stirling Castle, perched dramatically on top of a hill and, thankfully, accessible by car all the way to the top. Once inside, it was every bit as impressive as we had hoped. Rather than being just one enormous building, the castle feels more like a little village tucked behind the gates, with so much to explore and discover. No one lives there these days, as it is privately owned and managed as a museum and tourist attraction, but it is packed with history and character. You could easily spend most of the day wandering through it all, but after a couple of hours we had reached our limit and decided a quick pub refreshment was the perfect way to finish the outing before heading home.

Daily Tally:

13.8k steps
9.5km
3 pubs