A new café and gift shop has opened near The Kelpies in Falkirk.

The Horsebox Café and Gift Shop is the first retail outlet to open at the ambitious Helix development. The Helix is a £43m project that has transformed some 350 hectares of underused land, between Grangemouth and Falkirk, into a parkland, marine hub and world-class visitor attraction.

Located directly behind The Kelpies – the world's largest pair of equine sculptures – The Horsebox was designed by Oliver Chapman Architects. Clad in charred Scottish larch and featuring an angular roof, the building has been described as an "evolution of the design of the camping bothies that will soon be gracing the banks of the Caledonian Canal".

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Cara Baillie, Products & Services Manager at Scottish Canals, commented: "The Kelpies are Scotland's newest cultural icons and have captured the imaginations of the public worldwide. They're already an incredibly popular tourism destination and now, with the launch of The Horsebox, we're helping to enhance the visitor experience by offering freshly-made, healthy, locally-sourced and natural products."

Launched by Scottish Canals, all profits generated by The Horsebox are to reinvested in the canals to safeguard their heritage for future generations.

(JP/IT)