On Thursday evening, in a week where the rain has seemed unrelenting, cloudy skies cleared and the sun came out. The timing could not have been better, as it coincided with a planned exploration around Festival Park with my running club.

Going back in time, it was the home of the 1986 Garden Festival – water features, flower displays, a cable car and steam trains, sculptures and much more. I didn’t live in Stoke-on-Trent back then, so never got to see it in it’s original splendour – the Antony Gormley statue is long gone.

Now it barely warrants a mention in any search of the city’s attractions and open spaces (apart from in relation to the neighbouring retail park that shares its name).

But in the spirit of the 27 Hours in Twizel blog, there was always something to look at as we wondered, went back on ourselves, got confused, followed a path that went nowhere, and walked around again.

We spent quite a few minutes trying to work out the hidden meaning behind this sculpture – if Wikipedia is to be believed, it is “Windborne (The Phoenix)” by Keir Smith.

Brightly coloured flowers, weeds and shrubs caught my eye. Some of us were better at flower identification than others.

There were quite a few mushrooms and hidden brick mosaics in the undergrowth too – don’t forget to look down! Every turn of the trails brought something unexpected into view:

We tried to find the path to the trig point, where the Antony Gormley statue had originally been located, but time ran away from us… we will return. There is definitely more to see and more memories to be shared.

---

With special thanks to Ruth, Jackie, Sukhy, Julie and Juliet for your company and for sharing your Garden Festival memories.

---

50 for 50 #2: 50 posts for my 50th birthday to be posted before I’m 51.