Creature Seekers

Information about Creature Seekers

Key trail information

Travel details: St Andrews Park is located a few minutes walk from Gloucester Road near the Arches area. It is served by many buses including the 73/74/75/76/77 which go along Gloucester Road, or the 70 which reaches Chesterfield Road near the other side of the park. There is no dedicated car park: street parking is available, but may be limited. There are bicycle racks on Overton Road, near the Hobgoblin pub.

Trail length: The route takes an estimated 15-20 minutes to walk at a moderate pace without stopping, but best to allow an hour to ensure there's time to explore everything.

Trail accessibility: All signs are placed adjacent to the tarmac paths which intersect many parts of St Andrews Park. There are no steps on the trail, and there are many benches along the way for pauses if needed.

Online components: At least one person in the group will need a smartphone with mobile data to get the full Creature Seekers experience. However the signs and artwork can be enjoyed offline, too! If you have connectivity or technical issues, take a note of the signs' codewords and try again later, or at home.

Dog walking: Please note that part of the trail (two out of six signs) is located in the dog-free area of the park.

About Creature Seekers

The Creature Seekers trail and web app was made by me, Emily Coyte, as part of the Avon Wildlife Trust's Wildlife Champions scheme. This volunteer scheme offers support and training in exchange for a project relating to wildlife engagement within a postcode area. This is one of those projects for BS6!

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About Me

I have a background in digital education and online engagement, and I have a big love of insects! I made Creature Seekers as a way of sparking the intrinsic joy of discovering cool lesser-known creatures, with a touch of gamification and a "collect them all" approach!

I've learned so much from this process and am very excited to share it! I hope it spreads more love for the little things we share the world with.

Thanks and acknowledgements

The project was developed with support and collaboration of the Friends of St Andrews Park, with additional support from the Community Events fund from the Festival of Nature.

The vector artwork of the insects was inspired by the wonderful Buzz and Scuttle, from Marian Hill. These works were used (with permission) as primary reference material for many of the insects, alongside various reference photographs to develop the final images.

I laser engraved the signs at the fantastic Bristol Hackspace!

Many thanks to these groups, and to everyone who provided inspiration, insight, discussions and feedback along the way!