Hunting for penguins

[GoogleMe]

Does everyone know about the phenomenon of fibreglass sculptures, decorated by different artists, dotted about? They can be a great way to get the steps in (perhaps not so much the fabulous Puffin Trail on the East Riding Coast 2022/3 as that was over such a wide area (Hull, Spurn, Bridlington, Beverley and many points between) - you'd have to have more than one day and be a very fit cyclist... even dashing about over a long weekend in the car and in the dark, we didn't see them all)

This weekend we zipped round the Doncaster Penguin Trail because it finishes on 29th. The penguin shape is fabulous but I think I'd have to say that it's been my least favourite so far because there doesn't seem to be any particular local connection, it was a bit too Christmas focussed and a tad lacking in artistic quality and variety... compared with the Derby Rams and the puffins. However, there were only 12 of them and it was a great way to explore a new place.

[CBDB Administrator]

Yes, we loved doing the Congleton bear trail ca 10 years ago, with Congleton leaning into its bear connections. (It was the last town to have bear bating, reportedly “selling the town bible for a bear”, but in modern times initiation a lot of “save the pandas” and save all sorts of bear species initiatives to have still bear-big connections. )

But we loved the bears!

Penguins sound like fun!

[CBDB Administrator in reply to CBDB]

Forgot pic

Bears

[GoogleMe in reply to CBDB]

Went to Congleton for the first time recently, walked round Astbury Mere... with all the 'don't' signs in Polish 😔 (We are getting a daughter in law whose first language is Polish)

But here's a Donny Penguin, The Road to Giverny (based on Monet)

Large fibreglass penguin painted in the style of Monet's The Road to Giverny, Doncaster

[CBDB Administrator in reply to GoogleMe]

How cute!

[Curlygurly2]

I love this kind of stuff. I saw all the Hull puffins last year when I was there, I can't remember how many - a dozen or so? I was particularly taken with the "fish wife" one, and did a bit of Googling and found out a lot about the fishing trade out of Hull.

We had "Cows about Cambridge" here 3 years ago, based on the fact that people can graze their cattle on the green spaces here, I volunteered and cared for a herd of 8, checking them regularly for damage. It was funny seeing the real cows looking at them...

This year we are having giraffes, and I'm volunteering again, I'm going to the meeting about that today in fact. I'm going to be a Trail Ranger!!

[GoogleMe in reply to Curlygurly2]

Oh you lucky, lucky thing... of all those Puffin Trail sculptures (and I think there were something like 42) that I wanted to see the Headscarf Revolutionary (but yes, she was a fishwife) most of all... and I didn't. She kept being vandalised and thus moved around for her safety (interesting that...) It is a wonderful story of determination. We saw quite a few of the Hull ones but not her! I was, haha, gutted!

We were scuttling around the East Coast in the dark and rain.... there was an app. (And a calendar which I enjoyed all last year)

(Also went to see the Kraken when it 'escaped', that was hilarious and joyous)

Such great ways to get people walking and exploring, people who perhaps wouldn't otherwise. And who wouldn't otherwise access much in the way of art either.

[Curlygurly2 in reply to GoogleMe]

Oh poor puffin, people are shite to vandalise such things aren't they? My husband was brought up in East Yorkshire and recognised her for what she was, I didn't. I saw the mural as you go out of town, that triggered my interest and I bought the book. It was scorching when we were there, so I went out early morning. I enjoyed Hull, I thought it was a beautiful city and well adapted for cycling and walking. I saw a lot of the maritime stuff, the shark down by the waterfront, and the plates in the pavements. I'd have loves to see that Kraken!

[Curlygurly2]

This was one of my favourites, it shows the very lovely King's College, and the Fitzwilliam Museum with its stone lions. Legend has it the lions climb down from their plinths, and wander down to the Cam to drink and bathe at night...

Cow