On a lovely autumnal day at the end of October I went off to explore the largest sculpture park in Europe, Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP). Despite studying art for years in Manchester, I've never visited YSP before and I already can't wait to go back. Close to Wakefield, the huge park is set in the 500-acre, 18th-century Bretton Hall estate. When I visited, the sun still had a bit of warmth in it and the crispy burnt orange leaves made the whole trip very cosy.
In my monthly newsletters, I usually talk about my two big loves; my creative practice and mooching about outside. So visiting YSP was the perfect combination of walking, viewing art and a good old picnic thrown in for good measure (cheese and pickle bagel).
Starting the day with good intentions and a paper map of the site, I crunched through the leaves and did lots of finger pointing in various directions. The plan quickly faded into 'ooh what's that one over there?!' as a new sculpture slowly revealed itself from behind the one I was heading for. Let's say the plan took more of a fluid approach as a more leisurely, wandering aim took over.
The park is large enough to place many of the sculptures in their own environment to avoid clashing and to give each piece of work it's own contemplation area. There's a great mix of natural works that almost make you question if they are made by human or nature and there are some contrasting, brightly coloured works that show off their manmade qualities.
As a gallery with so much space, scale can be used to change perspective in new ways. Every change in the weather will also bring new light, shadows and elements such as wind and rain to contend with.
The adventuring artist's tool kit:
I've put together a little list of things I used when I was visiting YSP
Comfy shoes. Sturdy trainers would be fine for this trip, a lot of the routes have good paths but you may want to get closer to some of the works and this would involve going on the grass - which might be wet. I wore my Doc Marten boots and they were fine.
Check the weather (it's Yorkshire!). The day I wanted to visit had yellow warnings for rain, so I rescheduled for the day after which had much brighter skies. A lot of the park is exposed and would cut your trip short if the wind or rain is particularly bad.
Stay hydrated. Plenty of water stations to refill your bottle and places of places to grab a coffee. I took a big flask of Green tea to keep me warm whilst out.
Take snacks. You will be moving around outside and you may be so involved with the work that you forget to check the time and miss the cafe opening times (who would do such a thing?). Walking about burns more energy than you might think, keep yourself energised.
Extra things I like to take with me on walking/art trips.
Battery pack - charge your phone on the go to ensure you can carry on taking photos, using maps and learning more through the park's handy QR codes.
A 'sit mat' - a little foldable outdoor cushion or mat that stops your bum from getting cold and wet on benches
Mechanical pencil - avoids the need to sharpen your pencil while you're out
Hydra vs Bear, 2023
A bronze sculpture by Jordy Kerwick
After a wonderful day in the sunshine and on a meander back to the car, I spotted this sculpture of a double headed bear and Hydra, the water serpent from greek mythology. Of course the sculpture containing folklore, hybrid creatures and with a playful approach was going to catch my eye. Who wouldn't love a boxy shaped two-headed bear?
I'd really recommend a day out to YSP if you can make it in the nice weather, it's a lovely day out!
Some extra shapes and textures from my day out, just for you.
One thing I love to do when I'm not in the studio is to go out into wild areas, hiking and spending time with friends. This trip fully encapsulated these loves with the added bonus of exploring new places, the West coast of Southern Ireland. This trip was my first visit to Ireland, it was great to see the landscape preparing for winter with its autumnal colours and wild weather.
This adventure was primarily a hiking trip, however, it was impossible to peel my eyes from the beautiful textures, shapes and colours. I had to bring some photographic souvenirs back to the studio.
As a group, we flew to Kerry and hired cars to get us to our accommodation in Killarney. I was absolutely blown away by the picturesque high street there, the only way I can describe it is like being on a film set. The shops, cafes, bars and restaurants were all immaculate and brightly coloured. Over the weekend we ventured into some of the cosiest pubs I've ever been to, we spent time chatting with (and propping up) some locals.
The hiking aim of the trip was to visit some of Irelands tallest mountains and hills, as the weather and visibility wasn't great (and had a few weather warnings) we decided to stay low in the autumnal trees and coastal routes instead, a beautiful decision that traded long distance views for botanical textures, crashing waves and well, safety
DAY 1
Our first adventure was to Killarney National Park where this area map with it's hiking routes caught my eye. I was initially drawn to reading the fun names like Purple Mountain, Devil's Punchbowl, Triangle Lake, Eagle's Nest, Ladies View and Moll's Gap. This map studying later came in handy when chatting to Maurice (the local pub's TV remote master).
Our route headed around Mucross Lake, some way up Torc Mountain and across to Torc Waterfall before heading to the botanical gardens, plant house and Abbey. This map has some beautiful wandering lines and simple fonts. I quite enjoy the little polkadot areas highlighting different terrains too.
DAY 2
Our second adventure was a beautiful morning/early afternoon coastal walk starting in Smerwick, walking along the sand and coast path to Muirioch beach and then following the stunning rocky views to Ardamore.
Later on in the afternoon we took an invigoratingly soaked walk along Clogher Head on the Dingle Peninsula (writing this over a week later and my boots are still damp...) and then went to enjoy some of the weird and wonderful pubs and shops of Dingle.
A particular shout out to Foxy John's Hardware Store (and pub). One half of the room is a bar with great drinks and a rustic aesthetic and the other half of the room is like the inside of my late grandad's shed. Beautiful. Peruse the rat poisons, screws and shower heads as you sup your delicious pint and dry off from the rain. I loved every inch of it. What a treat. (My photos didn't do it justice so I'll let your imagination enjoy that one).
In all, a long weekend with two full days of adventuring dramatic terrains in all kinds of weather and soaking up local knowledge and stories in perfect pubs.
(Would it be a holiday with me if you didn't have to peel me away from every picturesque house?)
It's an absolute privilege to break up the rhythm of our day to day cycles and spend the long summer days exploring new places and gathering up inspiration to bring back to the studio.
Recently I ventured down to the seaside in Cornwall and spent some time soaking up the tiny fishing villages, the beautiful countryside and hoovering up plenty of Cornish pasties.
Staying near Wadebridge, my mum was my tour guide operator, she chauffeured myself and our cocker spaniel around taking us to some beautiful places.
I've always been fuelled by spending time outdoors, walking and bike riding. Fresh air and seeing new things is like a brain cleanse to me, a sort of meditation that helps me to focus when I eventually go back inside. I've never been great at sitting still and limiting screen time is beneficial to my busy mind. This was very much a holiday of mooching, hiking, bike riding and splashing in the sea.
Brown Willy
Following Mum's pointy finger to 'look at some trees' we instantly went off piste and ventured into thick grass, ditches and scrambled over a barbed wire fence... fortunately the AllTrails app came to the rescue and we weren't destined to live in that cow field forever. Heading in the correct direction, we visited Showery Tor, Rough Tor and Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor. A 4 mile walk with 715ft elevation there were some stunning views at the top.
The official route had cows with calves in the fields and a mutual wariness for all parties involved meant that we nipped past without any trouble but I wouldn't have wanted to hang around them for too long. Cheese butties and a few scenic photos of the dog was the cherry on top and we headed back to camp where I illustrated the day in my drawing journal with a glass of wine.
Camel Trail
(Spoiler alert - no actual Camels were spotted - I know, I was disappointed too)
I did see the very beautiful Camel Estuary on the other hand. The trail runs on an almost completely flat disused railway line which makes it accessible for most people as well as great for walking and cycling.
There are loads of places en route to hire bikes, eat ice cream and sip coffee whilst taking in the scenery.
Eden Project
The Eden Project has always been firmly on my Places To Visit list. I wasn't at all prepared for how impressive this site is in person. So much so that I'm in the process of making it it's own blog post.
In the meantime I'd like to shout out to the fabulous lady donning her gorgeous Venus Fly Trap dress for the occasion.
Cardinham Woods
We were able to take Dilys the dog into The Eden Project grounds (but not into the Biomes or cafe) so her treat for being well behaved was a visit to Cardinham Woods for a play amongst the trees. Not far from the Eden Project, the woods are a great place to adventure - it was warm and misty with rain when we visited but I imagine it would be lovely and cool in the trees on a hot day. The walking trails are very accessible and the cycle routes looked like great fun too. It was a very plant heavy day - perfection!
Port Isaac
The home of TV series Doc Marten and full of tiny cute seaside cottages on winding streets, we squeezed in a quick trip to Port Isaac. It was an idyllic afternoon with a little paddle in the sea and a visit to the boutique little shops. We walked up the neighbouring hill to appreciate the seaside town in full view.
Constantine Bay
Finally one of our last stops was Constantine Bay. We nipped over to the dog friendly section of the beach where Dilys enjoyed playing in the sea. Between the RNLI lifeguard flags the sea was like surfer soup, packed with keen wave catchers waiting for that perfect timing. Just looking at the colour of the sea you can see why so many people are drawn to the beaches here.
I really can't wait to visit again, I'd love to add more places to my list. I've heard great things about the Lost Gardens of Heligan, please add your recommendations into the comments - especially any cafes and restaurants too!
Keep your eyes peeled for the Eden Project Blog post, I'll send that out soon,
Take care!
