Hemel Hempstead is host to 12 huge owls this Spring! The professionally designed and painted sculptures are dotted around Hemel Hempstead town centre, Old Town, The Water Gardens and Gadebridge Park. There’s a map available for the Big Hoot Sculpture Trail to download from Dacorum Council’s website, a paper version you can collect in the Marlowes shopping centre or it can be followed via the Loyal Free app, and is all totally free!

We chose a bit of a blustery day to go, but nevertheless headed into town to collect a map and find the owls! An advantage of picking up the paper version is that there are some activities on the back, which my eldest enjoyed doing once we’d got home and warm.

We started off furthest from town and worked our way towards the centre (and to the promise of a hot drink and lunch)! The owls are really big and not hidden, so they’re easy to spot from afar to keep little ones motivated. My toddler really got into the spotting element, with lots of shouts for “more owls”!

It is quite a walk from the Old Town to the town centre, so bear that in mind if you’re going with under 5s. We broke up the walking with plenty of play stops – Hemel Hampstead has undergone a lot of redevelopment in recent years and there are play areas in Gadebridge Park, the Water Gardens, the town centre itself, and even  a small one inside the shopping centre. These are all free to use, and didn’t really take us off the track of the trail, so added in a good extra element!

Each owl has a unique design and my eldest enjoyed spotting the details that corresponded to the witty titles – The Beach T’owl was her favourite! All the owls have a description of the inspiration behind their designs, and a QR code, that offers an extra bonus If! If you scan them all, using the Loyal Free app, you’re in with a chance of winning £100 to spend at one of the businesses in Hemel Hempstead.

After completing the trail we happily stopped for a well earned rest and lunch at Tiki’s the independent coffee shop in the town centre. There are lots of coffee shops and restaurants both in the Old Town and town centre, and lots of benches in the Water Gardens and Gadebridge Park, so whichever route you pick you’ll find somewhere to stop. Top tip, there’s also a great baby change and feeding room in the Marlowes if you have an infant with you!

All in all it was a really fun family morning, doing something a little bit different in a town we don’t often visit. The owls are in place until 19^th April 2022, so you’ve got a few weeks left to visit and enjoy the trail.