Martyn's Blog

A short while ago, I mentioned on this blog that there was to be a trail of ram sculptures in the city of Derby, and today (Thursday 10th June 2021), I travelled to the city to see them all.

The Derby Ram Trail is organised by Derby Museums, in partnership with Wild in Art. The sculpture is a ram because of a famous 18th Century song about a mythical ram which was ten yards high, with an enormous flowing fleece and huge horns. According to the song, people flocked from miles around to see this ram. The ram is a symbol of the city of Derby, reflected most famously in the local football team Derby County, nicknamed The Rams.

The rams are made of fireproof fibreglass, and they will be auctioned off when the trail comes to an end. Proceeds from the auction will go to Derby Museums, enabling them to continue their work in preserving Derby’s heritage for years to come.

The weather in most of the UK has been gloriously sunny and warm lately, and today was an exception. It was cloudy but not too warm as I caught the train from Burton on Trent up to Derby. It was a busy morning in Derby, with many shoppers enjoying the town centre. A few other people were also out looking at the rams, and children seemed to be having fun with the rams as well.

There is a free smartphone app (for Android and Apple phones) that has a handy live map which is useful for tracking them all down. I did plan a route before I started the trail, but it fell by the wayside as I found using the app was easier. If you have the app open as you get near to a ram sculpture, it is automatically added to your ram list. Unlocking a ram on the app gives you an “ART eFACT” card, with interesting information about objects in the Derby Museum.

The trail is live right now, and will be until 22nd August 2021. Note that two of the rams are located within The Derbion shopping centre (formerly known as Intu, Westfield and The Eagle Centre), so you would need to visit the trail during their opening hours to collect them all. Also, you would be required to wear a face covering in the centre, unless you are exempt.

The trail took me just over three hours to complete, and it was a great day out. A map is available on the Derby Ram Trail website, as well as on the app. Paper copies of the map can be obtained from Derby Museum & Art Gallery and Derby Museum of Making.

If you want any more information about the Derby Ram Trail, then you can visit their website at derbyramtrail.org.

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