I have labelled this one “Lower Scotland” as we have planned to come back in a couple of months to travel through Upper Scotland.

We found some accommodation in Falkirk which put us in between Edinburgh and Glasgow and allowed us easy access to a number of towns via train or driving. Falkirk itself has a number of attractions that we wanted to see, but more on them later.

Our first trip is by train into Edinburgh where we spend the day walking the central part of the city. The morning is typical Scotland, overcast and a little gloomy, so we wander up Princes Street taking in the monuments, Government House and down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. From there we walked up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle where the views over the city improved as the cloud burnt away and bright blue skies arrived.

Its Spring and the gardens of central Edinburgh are coming to life. The colours have arrived and the parks are at their best. Between the interesting statues, artwork and flowering cherry blossom trees, it’s a pretty time to be in the city. Even Paddington Bear shows up. He’s certainly getting around.

We finish our trip into Edinburgh and head back to Falkirk to visit one of the most amazing art installations we have ever seen. Falkirk is home to a pair of horse heads called the “Kelpies” which are mind blowing. They stand 30 metres tall and weigh 300 tonnes and are a statement piece. We arrive late in the afternoon and stay until well after sunset as they completely change appearance during this time. If you ever find yourself in this area, I highly recommend that you take the time to pay them a visit.

Our final day in Falkirk sees us make a looping trip around Loch Lomond. We start the day with a visit to Stirling that is home to the William Wallace memorial and Stirling Castle. We then loop around the loch taking in the sights which seem to get better as we go.

Our final stop is back in Falkirk where we just have enough time to visit the Falkirk Wheel which is an ingenious method to move canal boats up and down the Scottish lock system. The boats enter the wheel which rotates to move them up or down a level. It’s interesting to watch and quicker than the traditional gate system used elsewhere.

From Falkirk we are off to the Lakes District for a few days before heading to Wales and further south. We’ll be back in Scotland in July, but this time up into the Northern parts.