Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel Private Tour for 1 - 4 people from Greater Glasgow

8 May 2026 Review of Falkirk – visit to Keplie Horses and Wheel Two of us had an excellent day out from Glasgow to visit the Kelpie Horses in the Helix Park and then the Falkirk Wheel. We used public transport and it was straightforward. Taking the train from Glasgow Queen Street Station at around 8:15 it took about 40 minutes to arrive at Falkirk Grahamston station. We took a short walk of no more than 5 minutes from Grahams Rd to Park Street from where several bus routes stop at the Falkirk Stadium. The ride is about 10 minutes long. It’s then about a 15 minute walk through the Helix Park to see the Kelpie Horses. The walk is pleasant, flat and well signposted. There is an excellent café, toilets, gift shop and exhibition at The Keplies. The horses are stunning. Returning to Falkirk Stadium we boarded one of the many buses outside the stadium and returned to the town centre and made our way to the bus stops in Newmarket Street. We took the number 7 bus to the Falkirk Wheel. The journey takes around 25 minutes mainly through residential areas. The final stop is a few minutes walk to the Wheel (easy to spot behind the houses). The site is very impressive and we saw several wheel rotations, with boats using both the wheel and the lock out onto the main canal. There is an excellent restaurant and facilities around the basin. We didn’t take the boat ride we just enjoyed spectating. We then took the same bus back into town, a five minute walk took us back to Grahamston station, via the Costa Coffee in the retail park opposite. We arrived back at Glasgow Queen Street around 16:30. Tired but pleased we’d managed it all by public transport and it was much more straightforward than we thought. We had lots of help from friendly locals in Falkirk which was great. Useful to know: there are no time restrictions on using trains in Scotland – it’s the same price whenever you travel. There’s a Midland Bluebird DuoSaver bus ticket that covers buses to both attractions, valid for one day it cover the wider Falkirk area. Cost £12.50 (for 2 passengers). It’s about a 5 mile walk in each direction from Keplies to Wheel. Hope this helps, of course you can use taxis from the rank outside the station and the walking might be too much for less able visitors. I was very worried we wouldn’t be able to do everything in one day and it took a lot of research but it was surprisingly easy once we got started. Enjoy!

What a great day! Stewart is knowledgable and friendly. Our family of 4 (Husband and me, two twenty-something daughters) really enjoyed our day. Starting with the oldest house in Glasgow and the St Mungo mural warmed our history-nerd hearts. We were fortunate to have a sunny day, and the Kelpies were in their glory. And the Falkirk Wheel was, in the words of a young fellow passenger was, "Fun *and* scary!" (Not so scary, really) Highly recommend this tour with Stewart Gunn at Tartan Tours Scotland!

Great tour made even better by our guide, Stewart. First stop was at the Kelpies. Stewart gave us the story of what was happening in history (industry and workers) that gave us the background for development of the lore of the Kelpies. This made the difference between looking at some nice horse sculptures and living Scottish legend. Next stop was at Falkirk Wheel. Again Stewart made this special by bringing us around the grounds and explaining what the situation was before and after construction of the wheel. He made sure we had proper tickets and the best seats for our boat trip on the wheel. Stewart was very pleasant, informative and looked out for us the whole time. He provided timely refreshments from start to end.

Stewart was a fantastic guide ,very friendly and helpful and knowledgeable . Throughly enjoyed our day out . Both the Kelpies and the Farlkirk wheel were great Thank you cheers Karen D - Australia

The tour guide Stuart did a great job. He is very knowledgeable and really helpful for any of our needs. I have done a lot of tours around the world and this would rate as one if the best. I would have no hesitation in recommending Stuart as a tour guide you will not be disappointed.

This was great trip and Stewart is the perfect guide, very good natured and full of information. The "off topic" general conversations with him were as informative and interesting as the actual tour and we came away from the day with a much better understanding of Scottish life as well as visiting the actual tour highlights Highly recommended.

What a lovely day it was. Stewart was there waiting for us at the cruise center on time The tour was excellent no pressure with time it was a gentle pace . He told us the best place to take photos and history. If we are back in Scotland again he's will be top of our list to call . 10 out 10 from all of us. Brilliant time

This day was the best of our 28 day cruise and it was because of Stuart our guide. He met us at the port (sign with my name on it) and drove us to the Kelpies. We only knew they were horse statues but they are 30 meters high and super impressive! Stuart told us ALL about them and we walked around the area, taking them in and then up close. No rushing! Lots of pictures! Very impressive! We proceeded to the Falkirk Wheel. It too was way bigger than we expected - massive engineering design. My husband & our friend are both engineers & they were loving this! We watched the boats go up & down. Stuart had prebought our tickets and we had time for lunch in the cafe - scones were delicious! When we came out to get in line to take our ride, Stuart was standing #1 in line saving our place for the best seats! That is service!! Stuart had thought of everything to make our day the BEST DAY ever!! We have traveled on all 7 continents and he rates at the top of the guide list!!

Stewart and Stewart Tartan Tours was amazing! Communicated well, on time, gave us the local fables of the Kelpies which made it more meaningful. As a lifelong horse lover, it filled my heart to see these majestic modern sculptures captured them so perfectly! Stewart pointed out the best spots to take photos, and in the Visitor Center, showed us concept art that inspired global fundraising. Then on to the Falkirk Wheel, where Stewart had tickets for us, and pointed out the best place to sit on the boat, where we experienced the Wheel for ourselves! From start to finish, I was truly glad I chose Tartan tours for our first trip to Scotland.

Could not fault Stewart’s knowledge. He made our visit one we will treasure. Our visit ran like clockwork due to his attention to detail.