Thank you everyone for visiting and supporting this year’s Art Trail by Rail! One of the aims of the project was to invite people to travel by sustainable means whilst also promoting local art and creativity.
At each of the art trail venues, we asked everyone how they travelled. Over the course of the weekend, we’re delighted to share that more than 75% of visitors travelled sustainably. Around 50% came by train, 30% on foot, and 6% by bus and bike.
The trail included 14 venues between Chinley and Grindleford, along the Hope Valley railway line. Every venue was within walking distance of a station, making the journey part of the experience. The event first started last year where we had 18 artists take part across 9 venues with approximately 150 visitors. This year we had 40 artists take part, across 14 venues with over 450 visitors!
We’re so grateful for the help from our volunteers who greeted visitors at the station and welcomed people at venues and organised refreshments. It really did feel like a community led event.
Ingrid Karlsson, a participating Artist at the Chinley venue said, “The Hope Valley Art Trail by Rail was the best event I have taken part in for a long time. It had soul, a genuine grassroots feel to it, with artists and visitors drawn from the local neighbourhoods. In addition, we also received many visitors from much further away, arriving on the train, some from Sheffield, Nottingham, Stockport, Altrincham and so forth. The framework provided by Hope Valley Climate Action with a focus on sustainable travel and the support of Hope Valley Villages is clearly a winning concept which appealed to the public.”
This year was extra special because, along with local art, we were fortunate to have musicians playing across the venues. A special highlight was a music performance from Mark Bradshaw and The Jackdaws at Padley Chapel, a few minutes’ walk from Grindleford station.
We often assume that travelling more sustainably is less convenient, or we need to cut back what we do. The art trail showed the opposite. Travelling by public transport allowed everyone to slow down, watch the valley views go by, chat to new people, and step off in a village you might normally drive straight through. Visitors told us they’d visited places on their doorstep that they’d never been to before and that the journey was enjoyed as much as the destination itself.
We couldn’t run this event without the support of our sponsors and partners, particularly TransPennine Express, High Peak and Hope Valley Community Railway Partnership and High Peak Borough Council. Thank you for helping us celebrate local art and a better way to get around the Hope Valley.
As part of the festival, visitors were invited to add their self portrait to the art trail ‘train’. The picture was split between venues so everyone could take part. We are working on permanently displaying a copy of the mural at one of the participating stations on the trail. Sign up to our newsletter to keep in the loop about events like this and others.
Below is a selection of photos taken across the weekend.
