The Big Hoot Art Trail - Ipswich

Today we traipsed around Ipswich looking for owls... three years on from wonderful Elmer Trail, Ipswich has another Art Trail - The Big Hoot. Once more we enlisted Roland to guide us round and collect all the Big Hoots (and a few Little Hoots too).

This was the invite from Joyce...

"Tuesday June 28th : Please come and join us for a leisurely day in Ipswich visiting the 50 Big Hoots and some Little Hoots too. See more here Art Trail - The Big Hoot Ipswich 2022 : The Big Hoot Ipswich 2022. 

We will meet at Zentang-Owl which is on Henley Road outside Ipswich School and the west entrance to Christchurch Park. "

This was our route today, starting where we met and finishing at where Joyce had parked her car.

Here are just a few of my photos.

Roland discussing the planned route with Joyce. You can get a trail map at any of these locations.

Out meeting point Owl, #27 - Zentag-Owl was one of the prettiest.

Tania caught up with us at our second owl, #28 - Let the Grass Grow Greener.

One of my favourites was #32 - Wild One. 

#33 - The Hoot Express was rather fun.

Dial Lane Books had an entertaining sign outside.

We never found them all, but #38 - Nocturnowl has 5 hidden Woody woodlice.

Admiring #39 - Feeling hoot, hoot, hoot.

10 owls bagged - time for a coffee.

At Hoot HQ (Ipswich Town Hall) I got my own trail map and souvenir guide. Here we found #50 - Nocturne - another of my favourites.

Another popular one was #2 - Frutti Hooti

We admired the planting outside the New Wolsey Theatre.

At Portman Rd we found #5 - Towny Owl in an Ipswich Town shirt and met a similarly adorned fan. When asked if he had #77 Sheeran on the back of his shirt like the owl he said he wasn't that sad, but after we left he was seen getting his photo taken hugging the owl, saying "I never expected to be photographed doing this".

At #7 - Frida K'owl'o, Joyce predictably, perhaps, responded to the quote under the feet, "Feet, what do I need them for when I have wings to fly", with "Wings, what do I need them for when I have feet to walk".

We stopped for lunch at Ipswich Haven Marina by #11 - Uluka.

Heading around the waterfront we passed # 14 - Olivia the Owl.

We enjoyed seeing the boats.

Another favourite was #15 - Owl Hands on Deck.

My favourite, though,  was #20 - Owl Tell You a Story at The Hold  with its stack of punning book titles.

I did notice, though, a missed opportunity - the map of Suffolk could have had Southowld on it.

Another favourite was # 45 - Parliament of Owls....

...as was #40 - Hoot to Suffolk (which also features at the top of this blog post) in the St. Elizabeth Hospice shop on Dog Head Street.

Returning to Christchurch Park we admired # 24 - Eye on Ipswich, with its map of Suffolk.

Ipswich is in the owl's right eye.

Passing Christchurch Mansion..

...we came to #25 Skool's Out with more interesting books to read...

...and had an ice-cream stop before our last owl, fittingly, #26 - Mabel and Friends.

Mabel is a famous inhabitant of Christchurch park and we looked for her in her tree...

...but she wasn't there today.

Thank-you Roland for successfully and efficiently leading us round all 50 big owls, and everyone else too for the company,

You can see more of my photos, including at least one of each of the Big Hoots on Flickr here and more details of our route here on MapMyWalk.