The Kelpies

Autumn Adventure - Day 2

I left the beautiful woodland campsite near Kendal late this morning, and headed further north, crossing into Scotland. My first stop was at Lockerbie, where I visited two memorials for the lives lost in the bombing of Pan Am 103 in 1988. (See first Extra photo). I was two years into my Flight Attendant career when it happened, and for me it’s one of those world events where I can remember exactly where I was when I heard the terrible news.

The first memorial is in a very small park, which is the location of the large crater that formed when the plane fell to the earth. The stone there commemorates the lives lost on the ground, all residents of Lockerbie.

A couple of miles away there is a Garden of Remembrance, honouring all 270 lives lost who were passengers and crew on that flight. The flight took off from London, heading to New York, and had people on board from 21 different countries. The memorials were beautifully done, but very sobering.

I continued north and ended up in Falkirk, just outside Edinburgh. Here I visited the ‘Kelpies’ which stand along the Forth & Clyde canal. These 30-metre high sculptures depict the legendary horse-shaped water spirits. Designed by Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, they were opened in 2013. I first saw them by day (see second Extra photo). The visitor’s centre car park allows overnight stays of campervans and motorhomes, so after dinner and once the sun went down, I walked back to the statues and saw them all lit up, with shifting colours. I think they’re beautiful! I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time, so now I can cross that off my bucket list! I’m sure I’ll be back!