The Watchers of York: Sculpture Trail

The Watchers of York: Sculpture Trail opens across the city on Monday 29 June and runs until 31 August, a summer-long outdoor exhibition put on by Make It York in partnership with York Minster. The whole thing is built around the stone carvings that have watched over the city from the Minster for centuries. The creative idea is that these figures have finally stepped down from their perches and scattered themselves across York, from hidden gardens to the cobbled streets, waiting to be found.

It's a self-guided trail, so you're the one doing the hunting. You'll be looking for larger-than-life sculptures inspired by the original stone carvings in the Minster, and if you know where to look, you can trace each one back to the figure that inspired it. The sculptures themselves were designed and built by Norse Sky, a North Yorkshire set and prop maker, so they're proper pieces of work rather than something thrown together. The launch also lines up with the York Mystery Plays, so there's a bit of a cultural cluster going on around the city that month.

It's billed as family-friendly and aimed at trail hunters of all ages, which is a fair way of putting it — it's as much for kids as it is for anyone who enjoys a bit of a city-wide scavenger hunt. It sits in the art and culture category, but since it's outdoors and spread across the city, it's more of a walk than a gallery visit. If you're after a souvenir to remember it by, there are trail-inspired keepsakes at the Visit York Visitor Information Centre.

Make It York runs plenty of free events throughout the year and they've made a point of accessibility for people with additional needs, so if you've got specific requirements, it's worth checking the accessibility guide and FAQs on their website before you set off. The trail runs from 29 June to 31 August, so you've got the whole summer to find them all.