We love a sculpture trail, especially one right on the doorstep of where we were visiting on the East Coast of Hull. The Mischief of Rats is an animal sculpture with wonderfully decorated rat sculptures, dotted around the city and wider area. The rats were inspired by the Hull band The Rats from the 70’s and 80’s. It raises funds for The Daisy Appeal, a charity that provides technology to support those with cancer, heart disease and dementia. They are all beautifully decorated.
The trail runs until the end of August, there’s a PDF guide, online shop and App you can download to record the rats you have collected.
We had planned to try and see a few of the rats on a recent visit, but our plans changed a little whilst we were there. More of that later. Building work meant we missed the Fruit Market rat, but we did see the Moby Dick themed rat “Whale tales and rat trails” at Burton Constable Hall, near Sproatley. We had a lovely walk in the surrounding parkland and a stop for cake and coffee. If you head over to our Facebook page you can see a 360 video of the sculpture.
The Fruit market itself is worth a visit and we had a special birthday lunch for my Mum at Bert’s restaurant. It’s not far from the The Deep, there’s nearby parking and restaurant’s, cafes and shops. If you’re lucky you might see one of the music events or street performers. We visited on a Sunday and in one of the car parks was a makers market, so we picked up some lovely handmade goodies. Sorry for the lack of photos, we’ll get more next time!
We did have an unexpected tour of some parts of a Hull whilst we were there. Driving around in the dark however, didn’t stop us keeping our eyes peeled for rats. My Mum took a few bus rides and kept sending me updates on her rat spotting! Big thanks to Hull Royal infirmary, The Urgent care unit, A&E and Castle Hill Hospital, who all looked after us for a few days. We appreciated their care and kindness. Everyone is back fighting fit(ish), ready for more trails and adventures.
Burton Constable Hall can be found 10 miles from Hull HU11 4LN.
The Fruit Market has parking at HU1 1UU
Enjoy your Hull rat spotting and let me know if you find one or two, especially the elusive fruit market rat we couldn’t find!