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Six of the best Christmas light trails in 2020

With so many Christmas events likely to be cancelled this year due to Covid restrictions, these six imaginative Christmas light trails offer some much-needed sparkle and escapism to your festive Staycation! Well suited to the current regulations, most require advanced booking with pre-bookable timeslots to maintain social distancing.

Why not check them out and see if you can squeeze in a short Staycation before Christmas?

Tunnel of Light, Norwich

Christmas light trails: Tunnel of Light, Norwich

Image © VisitNorwich

When: 12 November 2020 - 5 January 2021
Where: Hay Hill, Norwich, Norfolk
Details: Returning for its fifth year - if you're yet to see the magical Tunnel of Light you really don't want to miss it! Why not take a trip to Norwich and experience this seasonal showstopper believed to be one of the largest of its kind in Europe? Standing 45 metres long, four metres high and six metres wide, the tunnel is made from more than 57,000 pulsating LEDs with sequenced lights that echo the patterns and colours of the Northern Lights. Free to attend with new social distancing measures in place.
Find out more: www.visitnorwich.co.uk
Make a weekend of it: Check out our beautiful Norfolk properties, all between 20-40 minutes’ drive away.

Illuminated Light Trail, Blenheim Palace

Christmas light trails: Illuminated Christmas Trail, Blenheim Palace

Image © Blenheim Palace

When: 4 December 2020 - 3 January 2021; Prebooked timed tickets 5.45-8.30pm
Where: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Details: Head to Blenheim Palace for a truly unmissable Cotswolds Christmas experience. Its after-dark trail of lights throughout the Palace gardens will be even more spectacular this year with new installations including Blue Neuron and the Heart of Stars scattering shards of light across the lawn. Discover a scented Fire Garden, colour-changing neon tunnels, the Will-o-the-Wisps fairy fire and much, much more.
Find out more: www.blenheimpalace.com
Make a weekend of it: Enjoy a Cotswolds Christmas break at one of our beautiful holiday cottages across the Cotswolds.

Christmas experience, The Eden Project

Christmas light trails: Christmas experience, Eden Project

Image © The Eden Project

When: 4 - 30 December 2020 (pre-booked timed tickets for all events)
Where: Eden Project, Bodelva, Par, Cornwall
Details: Enjoy an enchanting after-dark Christmas experience as you follow the one way routes around the Biomes which are transformed with playful lights and joyful live music. The event runs alongside other Eden favourites, including seasonal walks and trails through the spectacular outdoor gardens. Or get your skates on and take a whirl on the glittering Eden ice rink, and warm up with a hot chocolate or festive treat.
Find out more: www.edenproject.com
Make a weekend of it: Book a stay at one of our fabulous Cornwall Holiday Cottages, all within an easy drive.

Thursford’s Enchanted Journey of Light

Christmas light trails: Thursford Enchanted Journey of Light, Norfolk

Image © Thursford

When: 4 December 2020 - 3 January 2021; Pre-booked timed slots only
Where: Thursford, Fakenham, Norfolk
Details: For over 40 years, the tiny Norfolk village of Thursford has been the go-to destination for the magic of Christmas and 2020 will be no exception. A truly festive family treat, Thursford’s Enchanted Journey of Light will include an all-new indoor Wonderland Trail: a maze of engines, fairy-tale characters and one of the UK’s biggest kinetic light displays. Sadly Santa is currently ICE-olating so will not be attending the event but throughout your journey you’ll meet lots of fantasyland characters including the snowman family. Your journey ventures outside to a 4-acre Lantern Light Extravaganza: a beautiful, breath-taking festival of luminous sculptures, from a fantasy forest of jungle animals to the wilds of the North Pole.
Find out more: www.thursford.com
Make a weekend of it: Check out our beautiful Norfolk properties, all between 20-40 minutes’ drive away.

Enchanted Christmas, Westonbirt Arboretum

Christmas light trails:  Enchanted Christmas, Westonbirt Arboretum

Image © Westonbirt Arboretum; credit Johnny Hathaway

When: 4-6, 10-13, 18-22 December 2020; 4.30-8.20pm. Timed pre-booked tickets only
Where: Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire
Details: If you’ve not yet experienced Christmas at Westonbirt Arboretum, it’s definitely worth wrapping up warm and making a visit. With a new illuminated light trail, and safe social distancing measures, your mission is to journey through the trees, experiencing stunning light displays and spectacles along the way, on a quest to find the West Pole – Santa’s outpost in the Cotswolds. The man himself will be located along the woodland trail and will do a short performance. Head to the Christmas village after your adventure and warm up with some festive food and drink. Advanced booking is essential, with pre-bookable timeslots to maintain social distancing.
Find out more: www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt
Make a weekend of it: For this magical Cotswolds Christmas experience, stay at our Cotswold Lake Lodges less than 30 minutes away.

The Heligan Night Garden Lantern Experience

Christmas light trails: Heligan by Night, Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall

Image © The Lost Gardens of Heligan

When: 4-13 December 2020 5.30-7.30pm; 18-23, 27-30 December 2020 5.30-8.30pm; 2-3 January 2021 5.30–8.30pm; Pre-booked timed slots only
Where: The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewan, Cornwall
Details: Christmas is always a magical time at The Lost Gardens and there is plenty to get you into the festive spirit in 2020! Step into The Heligan Night Garden, an enchanting illuminated seasonal trail with hundreds of traditional lanterns and a breath-taking display of wildlife lanterns which highlight the atmospheric Lost Gardens. Delight in the incredible illuminated installation created by the renowned Lantern Company, a leading UK outdoor arts organisation. Explore at your own pace, stop to take in the smells of the fire pits, toast marshmallows and chestnuts, and enjoy seasonal warming take away refreshments amid a truly festive backdrop for your evening. Pre booked timed slots only.
Find out more: www.heligan.com
Make a weekend of it: Stay at Trencreek Farmhouse less than 20 minutes’ drive away or our cottages in St Agnes and Looe.

Main blog image: Thursford’s Enchanted Journey of Light - Image courtesy of Thursford; Image © Thursford

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