Huge park with adventure splash zone named a top attraction in UK

A HUGE park in the UK has been named one of TripAdvisor’s top attractions for 2024.

The Kelpies and Helix Park in Falkirk, Scotland, have been recognised in Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards for 2024.

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Located in Falkirk, the Scottish park was given the award based on authentic reviews left by visitors over the last 12 months.

Helix Park has been the recipient of other awards too, including being named the Best Visitor Attraction Experience at the 2023 Visit Scotland National Thistle Awards.

Famously, Helix Park is home to the Kelpies, which are the largest equine sculptures in the world and are an iconic landmark in Falkirk.

The sculpture is a giant statue of two horse heads, which were unveiled to the public in 2014.

Spanning for more than 350 hectares, there are plenty of other features inside the huge park, including an adventure zone and splash play area for kids, with fountains spraying from the ground and huge climbing structures.

Meanwhile walking and cycling routes “meander through lush greenery and enchanting woodlands” according to the park’s website.

The paths in and around the park connect 16 communities via 26 kilometres worth of trail, all of which can be explored.

Lesley O’Hare, Culture and Greenspace Manager at Falkirk Council, said: “This award is a tribute to our hardworking team who consistently deliver excellent customer service and an overall brilliant visitor experience.

“With The Kelpies celebrating their tenth anniversary this year, it has been a particularly busy one for our team, and I’m glad that they have received this well-deserved recognition.

“We are honoured to be included among traveller’s favourites this year, and a huge thank you to each and every person who has left a positive review on Tripadvisor.”

Given the recent award, it comes as no surprise that Helix Park has received a 4.5/5 star rating from more than 7,000 reviews on the online platform.

One person wrote: “The Kelpies are amazing and being inside one of the horses was awe-inspiring and enabled us to understand how it was constructed.”

Another visitor added: “A fantastic, unique place to visit. The Kelpie structures are absolutely stunning and the whole site is very green and spacious.”

Someone else wrote: “Absolutely awesome, I couldn’t believe the size of these statues.”

There are plenty of other unique structures in and around Falkirk, including the Falkirk Wheel.

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift that carries barges and boats between the Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal.

It is the only one of its kind in the world, making it a tourist attraction in itself, with the two canals also a great way to spend a holiday.

Barges can be hired and taken down both canals, with Edinburgh at the end of one and Glasgow at the end of the other.

The rotating wheel takes around five minutes to lift boats from one canal onto the other, in what Secret Scotland described as an “exceptional” example of engineering.

There are other unique structures around Falkirk, which can be discovered just a short journey away, including the Pineapple, known as “the most bizarre building in Scotland”.

The folly can be discovered in the grounds of the nearby Dunmore Park, in which the large country mansion Dunmore House can also be seen.

As its name suggests, the building is shaped like a pineapple, reflecting the extensive amount of exotic fruit that used to be grown in greenhouses throughout the estate.

 It was built in 1761 by the Earl of Dunmore as a summerhouse, from where he could enjoy views throughout his estate.

Now, the grounds are “an oasis for wildlife” according to National Trust for Scotland, who recommend visitors take “a peaceful walk around the former curling pond and surrounding woodland”.

The 14th century French chateau-styled building has a working Georgian kitchen, a visitor tea room and kids play park.

The house is set among the landscape of Callendar Park which contains a section of the Roman Antonine Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Falkirk is a 30-minute drive from Glasgow, and it’s a 40-minute journey on the train.

Meanwhile, it’s a 30-minute train from Edinburgh, or it’s a 50-minute drive from the Scottish capital.

Earlier this month, a northern county made the “world’s best places to visit in 2024” thanks to its great beaches, lavender fields, and dark skies.

And here’s the British national park that’s the best place to see the Northern Lights in the UK.

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