A Visit to Sculpture by the Lakes in Dorset
After 14 weeks of lockdown, we are able to venture a little further from home, with venues and businesses starting to open and welcome visitors again.
This week, we were invited to visit Sculpture by the Lakes in Pallington, near Dorchester.
Nestled in 26 acres of Dorset’s glorious countryside, Sculpture by the Lakes is an oasis for art lovers and collectors, created by renowned sculptor Simon Gudgeon and his wife, Monique.
It is worth noting, that this venue is not open to children under the age of 14, so if you are looking for a family day out, this is not for you.
What you get is a peaceful place to walk, amongst carefully landscaped gardens and wild spaces which have been curated to ensure that each sculpture is positioned to enhance its aesthetic qualities as well as the visual surroundings.
You don’t have to be an art lover to visit, it is simply a great place to let the stresses of modern day life just slip away, with some great and meaningful quotes scattered amongst the wildlife.
For the younger visitor, it is an instagrammers paradise.
We arrived at opening time, 10am and had the place to ourselves for the first hour and spent a good 3 hours exploring.
There are plenty of places to sit and watch the wildlife, eat a picnic or enjoy a coffee.
There is Cafe by the Lakes on site which is currently offering both hot and cold drinks, ice cream, cakes and a takeaway menu for a picnic in the park.
There is a larger, socially distanced seating area around the kitchen garden so you don’t have to walk too far to enjoy your coffee.
There are smaller works available to see in the Barn Gallery and they also have a beautiful selection plants for sale.
Admission to Sculpture by the Lakes is £12.50 per person and their summer opening hours are from 10am – 5pm on Wednesday – Sunday until 30th September.
Entrance to Sculpture on the Lakes is by online ticket only and you must purchase your tickets before you visit.
Is Sculpture by the Lakes somewhere where you would like to visit?
Sarah Bailey
What an awesome looking place to go and explore. It seems like they have some really unique sculptures and I love how the area to work with them as well.
Rhian westbury
This looks like such an awesome place, I love sculpture parks and this one looks really cool even for non art lovers x
Jenni
Oh wow this looks like a truly magical place, I wish we were closer. What a great place to spend an afternoon.
Kristine Nicole Alessandra
what an absolutely beautiful place. Perfect to visit after the lock down. It is so relaxing and those sculptures are awesome. The Time To Reflect is my favorite! So unique!
Liam | Whatthedadsaid
This looks a lovely place with some stunning Sculptures, I’ve never heard of this place and is something that is worth looking into, great post.
Kira
Looks like you had a great day and I know it was probably definitely needed and longer over due !
Emilio Marcos Sierra
As someone who lives in the UK, I’m quite embarrassed to admit that I’ve never been to Dorset. However, after reading your post it sounds a really chillaxed place to visit!
Ashleigh
It looks like a lovely place to visit! Glad you had a good time
Laura | Tales of a Natural Spoonie
This looks like a beautiful place to wander, relax and restore. The beautiful natural scenery interspersed with the sculptures is just stunning.