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15th July 2019 Hiking - Walking: Elmers Big Parade Suffolk Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: cloudy Max Speed: Distance Covered: 10 miles (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise) Monday 15th July – Walk ***** Elmers Big Parade Suffolk – cloudy. After the success of the Charity Pig trail around Ipswich which we did 3 years ago, walking 12 miles and seeing most of the brightly coloured pigs, Mag and I were keen to see the latest animal themed charity event to come to Ipswich. The animal chosen this time was the elephant and we wanted to see them before it got really busy in the school holidays. When we woke to an overcast and cooler day it seemed perfect for a walk around Ipswich town centre:) So with picnic packed we arrived at our starting point, as last time Holywells Park and headed down to the stream path into the park. We took a right which we hoped was a shortcut to the visitor centre but it was a mistake as the path was very overgrown and we got stung and cut on the nettles/brambles and actually came out on the road we were parked on! We were soon at the visitor centre in the out stables where Mag buys our map for £1 and we see the first lovely painted elephant, Lord Admiral Nelly:) My arm was bleeding a little at this point from the brambles and the very nice lady behind the counter got her first aid kit out and gave me a sterilised wipe! It’s always nice for a walk through Holywells Park and we passed the lavender to the glass conservatory, down the steps to the lake, sadly no Kingfisher but an Egret on a log and a rat! Then it was down to the bottom lake where we used to fish for tiddlers with our child-minded kids and spotted a coot on the nest. On to the stream, sadly covered in duck weed, out through the industrial estate and down to the waterfront. There were a couple of old sailing barges and loads of yachts in Neptune Marina as well as several more elephants including one by the large question mark at Suffolk University. We headed up into Ipswich centre where the majority of elephants have been placed, including a few in the Buttermaket shopping centre and up to Elmer HQ at the town hall. It is the first time we had seen the alterations to Corn hill with its fountains and stone sculptures and people in deck chairs, we liked it:) Again Ed Sheeran is featured with Castle on the Hill outside the old post office and the beautifully painted Suffolk’s elefantasia showing Suffolk scenes. There was lots of Elmer merchandise including signed books. After seeing the elephants in the Sailmakers precinct and library, we were getting hungry so we headed into Christchurch Park. We found a nice bench by the Mansion for our picnic:) It was lovely to see young families having fun in the park with the elephants proving very popular!!! Refreshed we had a look at the lovely garden at the back of the mansion, then down to the round lake with its smart new fountain past the wilderness lake with some Manderin duck young and up into the arboretum being entertained for ages by some very tame squirrels:) There was another elephant as we left the park and one more in Ipswich School. Then down through the park to Crown Street where several more elephants were spotted ending up at number 1, Pip painted like a water melon! Back through the town centre seeing loads more we ended up again at the waterfront in desperate need for coffee and cake. We found the lovely La Tour Cycle Café with its bohemian feel, not to mention a huge number of comfy Sofa’s:) Super friendly staff coupled with delicious coffee and a huge piece of lemon sponge made it a perfect stop! We sat outside for ages watching the world go past. It was then along the waterfront with several more pachyderms. We got back to the van absolutely knackered after being out 5hrs. 30 mins covering 10 miles having seen 49 of the 55 elephants plus loads of the smaller ones painted by local schools. So, another top day on Safari around Ipswich and can’t wait for the next animal themed adventure in a few years. Good luck when they come to auction off the elephants for the hospice charity in October! They made over £200,000 last time! Elmers Big Parade Suffolk Here Photo Gallery Here |
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