Wigtwizzle - Norman Smith's Travel Blog.: March 2014

"Chainsaw carvings in Ripon Spa Gardens have been created depicting characters from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Using the trunks of thinned out cypress trees, Harrogate Borough Council's Parks Team commissioned Lincoln's Chainsaw Mick to create the carvings. The brief was to make the connection with the city's famous son Charles Lutwidge Hodgson (1832-1898). Charles, who millions of people will know by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was a regular visitor to Ripon during his father's time as the cathedral's canon in residence. Legend has it that the inspiration for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland came from the time Carroll spent as a choirboy in Ripon Cathedral. He would stare at the cathedral's animal carvings whilst rehearsing or singing with the choir. And it is said that the idea of Alice following White Rabbit down his hole came from the tunnel leading to the cathedral's underground crypt. As well as a very life-like Alice, these garden sculptures include Caterpillar and White Rabbit, whose pocket watch has stopped this time giving him time to 'stand and stare' with his only 'important date' to bring pleasure to visitors to this award winning park in the heart of Ripon." http://www.yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Alice-Carvings-In-Ripon-Wonderland

And so, with cameras in hand, me and Sal set off in search of these carvings. Unfortunately the map I had seen on the Internet was published upside down so we set off heading north past the Market Square. After repeated "they must be just a bit further on" claims by me, we decided we weren't heading in the right direction at all so headed back towards the town centre and fortified ourselves with cappuccinos and bacon butties.

After studying a tourist map, my faux pas came to light and it turned out that we had parked up only a few hundred yards from our intended destination, the Spa Gardens. Sal took it all very well (I think) and anyway I was forgiven and all was forgotten once we saw the sculptures.

Our days out wouldn't be "days out" if we didn't get lost somewhere along the line, the word "preplanned" doesn't enter our vocabulary but this one was one of our or should I say my better cock ups!!