Travel Junkie Girl’s Ultimate Guide to Summer 2021 Sculpture Trails

Summer 2021 promises to be a mammoth year for sculpture trails. With so many being postponed from 2020, in addition to 2021’s planned trails, this year there is a bumper crop already ripe for the picking! People regularly ask me – how do you find out about them? I always send them off in the direction of Wild in Art, an organisation that specialise in public art and community events. They organise a large percentage of these kind of trails, however they are not the only ones, so I’ve brought together a full list of summer 2021 sculpture trails here.

Hopefully you’ll find one on this list near where you live, though I have noticed a large proportion of the trails being in the south and east of the country. If like me you’re situated in the north west, you may find you have a fair distance to travel!

I won’t manage to get round all of them myself unfortunately. But WOW, I can’t help thinking what an amazing road trip that would be!

What are the Summer 2021 Sculpture Trails All About?

Typically, these kind of sculpture trails run for an approximate period of 8-12 weeks, though there are a couple which run for a month or so longer.

The sculptures are sponsored by local companies who chose a design from a selection submitted by local and national artists, both amateur and professional.

The artists then paint their sculptures, usually in acrylics, though sometimes you’ll find a surprising mosaic design, textured surface or sculptures with additional features.

The unique sculptures are then excitingly delivered to their holiday homes along the trail, many of them outside so they can be accessed at all times of day, whilst making art fully accessible to all. Cue weeks of endless fun and entertainment, not to mention tonnes of silly selfies…

At the end of the trail there is often a farewell event, where all the sculptures are gathered into one location (ticketed events) ahead of them being auctioned off for charity.

So, that’s in a nutshell how it all works. Your job is to find your nearest one, or the one you fancy most and get planning that trip.

Without further ado, here’s my full list of Summer 2021 sculpture trails, with their dates and charities involved. I’ll update them as I go along with additional details as they come to light, more photos once I’ve been myself, as well as a snapshot of the kind of things you’ll see on the trail.

Derby Ram Trail: 27th May – 22nd August 2021

A flock of 30 5ft rams have taken over the city of Derby. The sculpture shape is based on the mythical Derby Ram from an 18th Century song and the trail is easily walkable in a day around the city centre.

It takes in lots of Derby’s key buildings and attractions including the UNESCO heritage Silk Mill (now home to the new Museum of Making), the beautiful Georgian cathedral, the classically styled Guildhall, the medieval church of St Peter’s in the City, the extensive Derbion Shopping Centre and the intriguing modern cube of QUAD arts centre.

There is an app you can download to find all the rams, upload selfies to and get lots of additional information from relating to Derby. Make sure you print off a copy of the trail map too – then you’ll be all ready to go!

The ram trail is raising money for Derby Museums which includes 3 top-notch exhibition spaces: Derby Museum & Art Gallery, Pickford’s House and the Museum of Making at the Silk Mill.

Read my full account of the Derby Ram sculpture trail and see which were my fave sculptures!

Moor Otters: 28th May – 19th September

Be an otter spotter across Dartmoor where 81 otters will make up 4 main trails in different areas of Dartmoor. You can see an interactive map of locations and if you click on each of the otters, a pop up will tell you exactly where to find it.

You will need a car to do this trail as the otters are widely spread across Dartmoor. There are a few groups where 3-4 are located in one town, and there is a 5th trail of 14 otters in Plymouth celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower.

Please note that many of the otters are located inside at various pubs, shops and other businesses, so they are only accessible during opening/working hours. Make sure you do your research in advance to avoid disappointment.

North Notts Journeys (Book Bench Trail): 18^th June – 5^th September

This is definitely the biggest book bench trail I’ve experienced so far. A grand total of 40 book benches have been dotted around various towns across the north of Nottinghamshire, including Worksop, Retford, Harworth and Tuxford.

The benches can be found in indoor locations including shopping centres, libraries, museums, galleries and other cultural establishments. There are 25 large benches and 15 slightly smaller ones.

The designs are inspired by themes of journeys, adventure, freedom and pioneering spirit. As 2020 was the 400^th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing, the celebrations of which were postponed till now due to Covid, some designs have focused on this, thus representing the region’s links to this important historical event. More modern journeys explored include tributes to the NHS following their pandemic story.

So far, I have failed to locate a downloadable map and list of locations, however if you click on each of the book bench pictures, a pop up tells you where it can be found.

Why not check out the last book bench trail I followed in King’s Lynn & Hunstanton back in May 2021.

Elmer’s Big Heart of Kent Parade: 19th June – 22nd August

Elmer has marched onto the streets of Maidstone this summer with sculptures lying along 3 suggested walking routes totalling approximately 6 miles. The route explores the town centre, various parks and Maidstone’s riverside.

There have been several Elmer trails in the recent past – why not check out when I followed Suffolk’s Elmer trail through Ipswich in 2019.

For Maidstone, there are 51 Elmers to find, as well as 30 small Elmer sculptures designed and painted by local schools and youth organisations.

There is an app to help you find all the Elmers and through the app, you can also take part in their Pedometer Challenge, with prizes given to the top three individual steppers and top three teams. You can find out how to take part here, with instructions on how to record your steps and use the pedometer feature.

You can pick up the official trail map from one of the pop-up Elmer shops. Elmer HQ is in The Mall and Fremlin’s Elephant House is on Fremlin Walk. These locations also stock Elmer Parade merchandise too, as do the 14 Heart of Kent Hospice charity shops.

The Elmer farewell event will take place on 3^rd – 5^th September, with the auction raising money for the Heart of Kent Hospice on the 9^th September.

Octopus Ahoy!: 25th June – 5th September

30 4ft by 4ft octopus sculptures have formed a public art trail across Harwich, Tendring and the wider Essex area to celebrate the Mayflower 400 project, as well as marking Clacton’s 150 year anniversary.

There are 15 octopuses in Clacton-on-Sea, 5 in Harwich and the rest are dotted around various locations, including Manningtree, Colchester, Brightlingsea Jaywick, Holland-on-Sea, Frinton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze and Dedham. There is one last octopus sat at Liverpool Street station in London which is where the trains out to this area of Essex from the capital set off from.

I spent 2 days following the trail and I got round all of the sculptures except for those in Brightlingsea and Colchester. I did however spend a full day just exploring Harwich and Manningtree, with long walks at both, so if you were intent on getting to those other locations in the same day it could easily be done (with the use of a car of course).

Octopus Ahoy! is headed up by creative agency – KAT Marketing, in partnership with Tendring District Council. They will be raising money for various Essex based charities with their charity auction on the 23^rd September.

Cows About Cambridge: 28th June – 4th September

44 cows have punted into Cambridge alongside a further 46 mini-moos painted by local schools and community groups. The herd of cows are spread around the city centre and can be found grazing in Cambridge’s parks, greens and commons.

The cow sculpture takes me back to the very first sculpture trail I followed – Manchester’s Cow Parade in 2004. 17 years later, I’m still just as enthralled by a sculpture trail and I can’t wait to see these cows for myself. I found the promotional video of ‘Daisy’ punting udderly moo-vellous! Ohhhhh…. so many cow-tastic puns spring to mind.

There is an interactive map online with links to the cows info and design. You can download a printable map too and there is an app (£1.99) to help you find the marvellous moos! You can also join a guided walking tour of the cows where you’ll find out tonnes of information about the designs and how they connect to the city of Cambridge.

The final farewell weekend is the 18 – 19^th September with the charity auction taking place on 23^rd September. All funds raised will be donated to local children’s charity ‘Break.’

Peterborough Reads (Book Bench) Sculpture Trail: 28^th June – 6^th September

Book benches have become so popular over recent years, that they seem to be popping up all over the place. If you think about it, books hold such a special role in shaping our lives from the moment we’re born and have that first night time story read to us, to reading for pleasure as an adult and learning at all stages in between.

Check out the West Norfolk book bench trail I visited earlier this year in King’s Lynn and Hunstanton.

The book bench sculpture seems to have become almost a champion for literacy and has provided a great canvas for educational groups to explore what books mean to them.

17 book benches can be found across 7 locations in Peterborough including the station, museum & art gallery, cathedral, library, Queensgate, Key Theatre and Serpentine Green. The downloadable trail map and leaflet can be found here.

Cotswolds Kingfisher Trail: June – Mid September (exact dates TBC)

22 stunning kingfisher sculptures have taken up perch in various Cotswolds towns along two different trails. There are 11 kingfishers on the Severn trail which winds its way through western Cotswolds towns and villages along the tributaries of the River Severn and the Cotswolds Way. There are 9 kingfishers along the Thames Trail which runs through towns and villages along the tributaries and waterways of the River Thames.

The 21^st kingfisher is a roaming one, flying into a different location each fortnight. The final kingfisher is a special Golden one and can be found at Iford Manor Gardens. You can download a map and list of locations here, as well as an app.

The majority of the sculptures are located in indoor locations, so make sure you check opening times before travelling to see any of the kingfishers to avoid disappointment.

Hares About Town in Southend: 1st July – 12 September

What would you think about coming face-to-face with a giant glitter-ball mirrored mosaic hare? It’s bonkers isn’t it! These somewhat oversized hare sculptures in Southend-on-Sea are super sleek and elegant but also very imposing.

What a grand day out I had finding all 30 of them, as well as many of the small Leverets painted mainly by school groups. The hare is a beautiful shape and there are so many fabulous designs. I particularly love ‘Hare of the Dog’ as it really does look like a Dalmatian, especially in the sitting pose that these hares have.

As long as you’re up for a long and active day, a great way to approach the Hares About Town trail is to start at the furthest most point from the seafront at Priory Park where you can park for free. (bonus) Then follow the trail down Victoria Avenue to the seafront, collect the few to the east before retracing your steps along the front and hoofing out west to Chalkwell where the last couple of hares are located. At this point I jumped in a taxi at Chalkwell train station back to Priory Park. (approx cost £6.50)

You can find out where you can pick up an official trail map from this long list of locations. Of course, there is a trail app too (£1.99) which works very well and I found to be extremely accurate.

The final farewell weekend is the 24 – 26^th September with the charity auction taking place on the 28^th September. Hares About Town is raising money for local charity: Havens Hospices.

There’s nothing more to say, other than you’d be hopping mad to miss this fantastic trail of hares in Southend.

Lincoln Imps: 3rd July – 8th September

30 of these cheeky chappies are hiding away amongst the streets of Lincoln, with an additional 5 going on the roam peeping out from shop windows hither and thither! One last imp made a quick getaway though to spend the summer on the coast in Skegness. Will you find him or will he evade capture?

I love the legend of the Lincoln imp, who you can find petrified in stone in Lincoln Cathedral. It has inspired many for centuries and has become a popular symbol of the city. As you walk around Lincoln, you’ll see many references to the imp figure. He appears on quirky door knockers and in gift shop windows. Much like with the ram in Derby, the local football team have also adopted the symbol and are affectionately known as the Red Imps.

Like many of the summer 2021 sculpture trails, the large imps were joined by 50 mini imps on the 10^th July. These little ‘uns have been designed by local education groups from primary schools to universities and can be found in well-known indoor locations until the 16^th September. Click here for a list of participating groups and the mini-imps locations map.

You can find an interactive trail map online, download and print the official trail map, and of course there’s an app to help you navigate your way around Lincoln.

The farewell event will be held at Lincoln Castle on the 18^th – 22^nd September, with the charity auction taking place on 1^st October at Lincoln Cathedral. All funds raised will go to St Barnabas Hospice who deliver care and support to those living with life-limiting or terminal illnesses.

The Way Ahead Tortoise & Hare Trail in Eye, Suffolk: 8^th July – 10^th September

Remember that good old Aesop’s fable surrounding the tortoise and the hare? Well, the town of Eye in Suffolk have based its latest public arts trail on those two characters, shining a light on the themes of resilience and never giving up as we come out of the pandemic.

The 26 sculptures form a compact trail around the town, weaving their way through not just the main town attractions but through residents’ gardens too. Keep an eye out for 16 mini sculptures which have been placed in shop windows. You can download the full trail leaflet and map from the website.

The trail has been organised by The Blossom Charity who support people going through extreme difficulties and hardship, so the charity auction that will take place on 16^th September will raise money for their important work and facilities.

You may like to check out when the robins flew into Nottingham on a colourful Robin Hood “Hoodwinked” trail.

Big Trunk Trail in Luton: 10th July – 9th October

Elephants are certainly popular choices for sculpture trails this year, with 32 of these heffalumps parading into the town of Luton. They have taken up residence at various landmarks around the town, as well as through the parks and open spaces.

There are 41 elephant calves to be found too, split between 6 indoor locations. Find out more and download the official trail map here.

The Big Trunk Trail farewell event is a double whammy where the elephants will all come together first at Whipsnade Zoo from the 22 – 28^th October, followed by an appearance at Stockwood Discovery Centre from the 30^th October – 7^th November. The charity auction will take place on the 11^th November with all funds generated going to Keech Hospice Care.

You may be interested in reading about the Let’s Go Quacker’s 2018 Sculpture Trail in Ironbridge.

Big Hare Trail in North Berwick: 10th July – 26^th September

The second hare sculpture trail of the year hops into North Berwick for 10 weeks over the summer. The Big Hare Trail consists of just 10 hares, with all but one forming a largely compact line through the centre of North Berwick. The tenth hare can be found at Dirleton Castle, approximately 3 miles west of the town.

It might be one of the smaller sculpture trails on this list, but the Big Hare Trail has formed the biggest and certainly the most unique public art event that East Lothian has ever experienced.

Make sure you download the trail map ahead of going. With there being a much smaller number of sculptures, the map is extremely easy to read and follow, which means there is no requirement for an app on this trail. You can however purchase an activity pack ahead of visiting – more info on these here.

The farewell event will take place on the 26^th September, with the charity auction held on the 1^st October. The Hares will be raising money for Leuchie House, a national charity dedicated to supporting people living with a range of neurological conditions by offering respite breaks.

Worcester’s Big Parade: 12th July – 5th September

Yep! More elephants… They are popular amongst the summer 2021 sculpture trails. Following on from the success of the giraffe sculpture trail in 2018: ‘Worcester Stands Tall’, Worcester grabbed another huge animal for its 2021 trail.

The sculptures lie along a 6-mile route, though if that’s a bit far for you, you can shorten it by not trekking out to Diglis Bridge to see the elephant there. It does make a lovely river walk if you do include it though.

There is a pop-up shop on Broad Street where you can get your trail merchandise and official trail maps. Maps will also be available to pick up at the Tourist Information Centre and The Guildhall and of course you can download them ahead of going or follow along on the app.

You may be excited to know that you can also grab your trail merchandise online if you can’t get to Worcester or you miss the shop in person.

Worcester’s Big Parade farewell event will take place at the Worcestershire County Cricket Club from the 30^th September – 3^rd October and the 7 – 10^th October, with the charity auction happening on 14^th October. All funds raised will go to St Richard’s Hospice.

Go Go Discover Dinosaurs in Norwich: 12th July – 11th September

21 T-Rex sculptures have invaded the city of Norwich and after seeing the fascinating sculpture on social media, I knew I had to see them for myself. I think the T-Rex is possibly my favourite sculpture shape to date. It is such a complex shape that I am in awe of the amazing artwork that has been created on this intriguing canvas, which I’m sure was extremely challenging for the artists involved.

The trail takes you round many of Norwich’s big landmarks and beautiful buildings but even though I’ve spent time exploring Norwich before, I still found some surprises along the way. I’d never seen St Mary’s (Coslany) Church for example, which you’ll pass enroute to dinosaur no.15 on the trail: The Junkasaurus Rex. You will pass so many churches on the trail, but St Mary’s is the last surviving medieval round-towered church in the city, so in my eyes, it’s rather special.

There is no app for this trail, but you can download the trail map ahead of going, and it’s very easy to follow. You can see a list of locations here where you can pick up a physical map copy.

Exciting plans are afoot to bring back the T-Rex in a bigger trail next year when he’ll be accompanied by Steppe Mammoths too and they’ll burst out of their Norwich playground to take on the wider county, so Norfolk – beware!

As a result, there is no farewell event or auction of the current 21 dinos’ this year. They’ll be one heck of a mammoth event after the 2022 trail instead.

Bears of Sheffield: 12^th July – 29^th September

One of the larger summer 2021 sculpture trails, there are 160 Bears let loose onto the streets of Sheffield – 60 large bears and 100 small bears painted by local school groups.

Following the success of the Herd of Sheffield trail of elephants in 2016, The Children’s Hospital Charity have organised this trail to help raise funds for the Cancer and Leukaemia ward at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

The inspiration for the bear shape came from the famous Sheffield Bear who resides in the Botanical Gardens and it also links to the hospital and charity mascot, Theo the Bear. A bear is such a comforting figure too with soft toy bears being loved and hugged by children (and adults) practically from birth.

The bears are widely spread around Sheffield and into the suburbs, so it’ll certainly take a while to get around them all. There is a list of locations where you can pick up a trail map and find trail merchandise here, but the main method of navigating around this trail seems to be by creating an account directly on the website, logging in and allowing the website to access your location, much like you would do in an app.

There will be a farewell event that gathers all the bears together at Meadowhall on 14 – 17^th October, with the charity auction on the 18^th.

Check out when I last visited Sheffield during the ‘Herd of Sheffield’ sculpture trail.

Rockets Round Leicester: 19th July – 26th September

40 whopping great rocket sculptures topping 8ft tall have landed in Leicester, kicking off the summer holidays with a bang!

Local educational groups have also jumped onboard for the ride designing their own junior jets which can be seen across Leicester’s indoor cultural spots. Pop over to the website to view an interactive online map and download the official trail map. Plus, there’s an app available too.

You can pick up a copy of the official trail map from the Rockets Round Leicester Trail shop in Highcross (Upper Mall), which also has a range of trail merchandise (available to purchase online too).

This is a really cool sculpture choice for Leicester with its link to all things space. I’d been meaning to visit the National Space Centre in Leicester for several years, so this trail definitely gave me the incentive to get there.

The farewell weekend will be held on the 9-10^th October at the National Space Centre, with the charity auction following on the 13^th. Funds are being raised for LOROS Hospice who provide care and support for terminally ill patients and their families.

One Gigantic Leap – The Stockport Frogs Trail: 24^th July – 26^th September

The frogs are back in town! Following on from the hugely successful frog arts trail back in 2019, these gigantic frogs have hopped back into Stockport this summer, bigger and bolder than ever!

There are 21 frogs to find, but this time they come with a baby frog sat high on their backs. So cute… I followed the original trail 2 years ago and had a fantastic time. The map is easy to follow and with the frogs looking like they are in a similar spread of locations, it works well starting at the railway station, which is how I arrived in Stockport.

This trail is easily walkable in a half day, or a full day if you stop for lunch and explore the various attractions, from the art gallery and town churches to the excellent market hall. Make sure you collect all the letters printed at each frog along the way, solve the anagram they form and you could win your very own frog.

Visit their website to download the trail map and guide, where you can also find information about all the different frogs, their designs, artists and sponsors. Check out the hashtag #stockportfrogs on social media to see photos of the 2021 army of frogs.

All funds raised will be donated to St Ann’s Hospice, which provides vital care and support to people living with or affected by life-limiting illnesses.

So, what are you waiting for – hop to it and head to Stockport for a totally ribbiting adventure: you’d be hopping mad not to!

Gratitude Figures: Starting 20th August…

‘Gratitude’ promises to be a spectacular public art installation of 49 figures, the designs of which aim to honour the contribution of all keyworkers throughout the pandemic. Rather than forming a trail, the figures will be in a single location, enclosed by mirrors on two sides to create infinite reflections of the stunning artwork and symbolise the endless dedication of pandemic keyworkers.

The installation will be accompanied by real life audio stories of keyworkers, recorded by famous voices, including Hugh Bonneville, KT Tunstall, Sarah Parish, Christopher Eccleston and Fat Boy Slim.

Gratitude will begin its tour in Birmingham and then move on to Manchester, Edinburgh and London. It is a free event, but a ticket is required to see them in each location. Dates are as follows:

Birmingham: 20 – 30^th August – Chamberlain Square

Manchester: 3^rd – 12^th September

Edinburgh: 17^th – 26^th September

London: 1^st – 10^th October

The figures will then be auctioned off to raise money for NHS Charities Together.

Bromley Book Bench Trail: 28^th July – 20^th September

10 book benches have rocked up in the town of Bromley, 3 of which have been specially commissioned to celebrate the big personalities that are connected to the town: David Bowie, Enid Blyton and Charles Darwin. Like so many, I grew up reading Enid Blyton books, but amazingly I never realised that she wrote the Noddy stories. That has completely blown my mind!

I cannot locate a map or list of locations online, so if anyone knows where this information can be found, please let me know.

Light the North: Autumn 2021 dates TBC

Not a huge amount of information has been made available for this trail yet, which considering it is supposed to start this month, I find slightly odd.

50 lighthouse sculptures, standing 2.5metres tall will light the way from Aberdeen, across north east Scotland to Moray, Orkney and Shetland. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing exactly where the sculptures will be located and hopefully, I may find myself taking part in a Scottish road trip come September.

The charity the lighthouses will be auctioned for is Clan Cancer support.

Get in Touch…

So, there we are – summer 2021 sculpture trails summed up in date order of when they launch! it’s a mammoth post, but as I was putting it together, more and more trails came to light.

I hope you see something that tickles your creative tastebuds and gets you out exploring somewhere new. Or maybe consider them as an invite to become a tourist in your local town or city – you never know what you might discover.

These sculpture trails really give you the chance to be imaginative, embrace art on a large scale, get outside and clock up those steps, discover a new place and support local businesses while visiting. And all the while, you will be helping to raise vital funds for important local charities.

Drop me a line in the comments below and let me know which trails you’re heading out on this summer… Which has been your favourite?

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