As the summer season settles, we highlight five thoughtful happenings to seek out this month. From Giuseppe Penone’s poetic reflections on nature, to a celebration of the life and work of beloved outdoor writer and illustrator Alfred Wainwright.
The Life and Legacy of Alfred Wainwright at the Armitt Museum
70 years ago, Alfred Wainwright published his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, leading to renown as one of Britain’s most renowned outdoor writers and illustrators. To mark this anniversary, Ambleside’s Armitt Museum hosts an exhibition that explores Wainwright’s enduring connection to the Lake District. Expect displays of Wainwright’s sketchbooks and tools, original drawings and photographs and unseen photographs taken by friends and family.
The Life and Legacy of Alfred Wainwright is on at the Armitt Museum, Ambleside until 20 December 2025.
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Running for more than 40 years, the Edinburgh International Book Festival returns, this time with the theme of repair. The programme invites audiences to reflect on what feels broken, and how we might mend it, through conversations ranging from climate justice to cultural healing. This year’s highlights include notable voices such as Irvine Welsh, Hanif Kureishi, Najwan Darwish.
Edinburgh International Book Festival runs at various locations from 9 - 24 August 2025.
Sea Inside at the Sainsbury Centre
At the Sainsbury Centre, the art museum located on the campus of the University of East Anglia, Norwich, Sea Inside is a multimedia exhibition exploring humanity’s ties to the ocean. Featuring contemporary artworks including large-scale watercolours, sound works and sculpture, Sea Inside poses that the sea has often been viewed as a mysterious ‘other’ in Western art. Conversely, artworks in this exhibition explore the ways the oceans can be better understood.
Sea Inside is on at the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich until 26 October 2025.
Giuseppe Penone: Thoughts In The Roots at Serpentine
Celebrating a lifelong exploration of humanity’s bond with nature, Thoughts in the Roots presents works by Arte Povera pioneer Giuseppe Penone, spanning from 1969 to today. The exhibition brings together tactile pieces in wood, bronze, wax and other raw materials, set within the natural surroundings of Kensington Gardens, a part of Serpentine’s ongoing mission to take art beyond gallery walls.
Giuseppe Penone: Thoughts In The Roots is on at Serpentine until 7 September 2025.
The Taybank Hotel, Restaurant & Gardens, Dunkeld
Set on the banks of the River Tay, The Taybank Hotel, Restaurant and Gardens is a beloved Scottish destination with a changing programme that shifts with the seasons. With rooms styled simply in natural materials, an on-site garden supplying the farm-to-table restaurant, outdoor cinema showings and lively folk sessions, it’s a welcoming base for exploring the landscapes of Highland Perthshire.
Visit The Taybank Hotel, Dunkeld.
Words by Lauren Sneade.
Image 1: Wainwright with flat cap and pipe. Courtesy of The Armitt, Sheila Richardson.
Image 2: Wainwright with pipe sitting on rocks. Courtesy of The Armitt, Derry Brabbs.
Image 3: Edinburgh Book Festival, McEwan Hall, 2024. Courtesy of The Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Image 4: Evan Ifekoya, Contoured Thoughts, 2019. Courtesy of The Sainsbury Centre.
Image 5: Giuseppe Penone, A occhi chiusi (With Eyes Closed), 2009. Courtesy of Giuseppe Penone.
Image 6: Giuseppe Penone, Respirare l’ombra, 2000. Courtesy of Giuseppe Penone and Serpentine.
Image 7: The Taybank Hotel, 2025. Courtesy of The Taybank.
Words by Lauren Sneade.
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