If you love a country stroll and you’re partial to an exhibition, why not combine the two at a sculpture park? The UK is home to an incredible array of open-air galleries, populated with breathtaking works that have been carefully positioned to work in harmony with the nature that surrounds them. Here are some of our favourite spots.
Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, St Ives
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Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield
This “vast Georgian parkland estate” is dotted with many “creations” by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, said The Times. Other works to search out include Andy Goldsworthy’s “Peter’s Fold” – a permanent sculpture built using ancient dry-stone techniques around a common lime tree. There’s also an “ebb and flow of temporary exhibits” to explore. If you want to make a weekend of it, consider booking a room at the nearby “pooch-friendly” Bagden Hall.
Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail, Gloucestershire
Nestled within historic woodland in Gloucestershire lies one of the country’s oldest sculpture parks. Carefully laid out among the trees over a four-and-a-half mile circular route are 17 sculptures, “many of which interact with the forest setting or are constructed from its raw materials”, said Time Out. Perhaps most impressive is “Cathedral”: “a 15-foot-tall stained-glass window depicting a woodland scene, hanging among the trees as if part of the landscape”. End your walk at the “lovely picnic area” by the Forestry Visitor Centre.
The Sculpture Park, Surrey
“You might be expecting little” when you arrive at this unassuming park in Surrey, said Country Life. But you’ll leave “bowled over” after an afternoon spent “wandering through what feels like miles of winding woodland paths, peppered with bronze gorillas and mirror-shiny steel bridges spanning lakes and streams”. Home to over 800 sculptures, all available to buy, there is plenty to see.
Jupiter Artland, Edinburgh
Situated just outside Edinburgh, this award-winning sculpture garden is a must visit if you’re staying in the Scottish capital. Look out for pieces by “luminaries” like Anish Kapoor, Marc Quinn and Phyllida Barlow, said The Times. Every artwork has been “designed for its precise spot”, some “swathed in woodland”, others overlooking the lakes. Open from April to October, the park hosts an annual arts festival, Jupiter Rising, each August with poetry readings and live music among the sculptures.
