We were invited along to the opening night of the brand new Enchanted Light Trail at the Cotswold Farm Park in Gloucestershire, owned by well known farmer and rare breed champion Adam Henson. Unfortunately the opening date had to be pushed back but thankfully they have now re-opened with lots of extra safety measures in place and so on Sunday evening we bundled the children up and jumped in the car to drive the 30 minutes from Cheltenham to see if it was as magical as we’d hoped it would be. Gifted tickets, but this review wasn’t asked for.
I’m going to keep the photos to a minimum for this post as I don’t want to ruin it for visitors and spoil the anticipation for anyone, but let me just tell you that it was an absolute extravaganza of lights of all different colours and types. Rainbow trees, sparkly archways, fairy lights twinkling, colour changing signs there was something magical everywhere you looked. There is a story and a trail to keep older children engaged and occupied reading the boards and so many little details to spot along the way! Although just the lights would be impressive enough for me!
The theme is animals (of course!) and the trail winds around different areas of the substantial sized farm park. Everything is one way and there are friendly, cheerful staff dotted around to help direct. Along the route are various different seating areas (distanced of course) and covered for rainy eves but with open sides. There are fire pits for warming up on cold evenings and the chance to buy hot drinks and food at the kiosk. Face coverings need to be worn in the barn and shop, there isn’t a way of avoiding the barn section so don’t forget to bring one!
It was so magical, honestly. I don’t know anyone who could fail to be blown away by the beauty of the park lit up in a rainbow of colours. It was quite breathtaking! Just on the way there the excitement levels were rising as we could see the glow of the lights from several miles away.
Highlights:
- Feeding the animals in the blue lit barn. Everyone was given a scoop of food as they walked in. There are even donkeys! (But you can’t feed them!)
- The little secret town in the woods.
- The highland cows mooing out big clouds of steam against the backlit trees.
- Warming our fingers and toes by the fire pit.
- Sampling the mince pie and Christmas pud ice creams! (You can buy tubs to take home!)
- The shop is open for gifts, you can book a table for dinner in the restaurant or there are various different food options along the way. There are several large seating areas, outdoor with heaters and covered and under canvas.
Our top tip for visiting the Enchanted Light Trail
Wrap up very warmly, it’s always a little colder up there than in Cheltenham and sometimes a lot! Hats and gloves are a good idea at this time of year. It’s all on paths but is a little muddy so suitable footwear is recommended. It is possible to get a buggy or wheelchair around but bear in mind that it can be a little trickier in bad mud and the path is slightly uneven through the wooded area, although it is a path.
How long is the trail?
You can make it as long or short as you like. We spent a good hour and a half doing the trail and were there for two and a half hours in total as we ate afterwards and bought some teacher presents in the gift shop.
How much are tickets?
Tickets are £15 for 15+ and £11 for children 3-15. Optional extras: There is also a professional photographer there taking pictures (if you have been to see Santa there, it’s the same company) and prints are £9 or if you buy two, you get the digital download as well. Food was between £8-£10 for a burger/hot dog from the vendor at the entrance but there are so many options. See their website for full details.
Do we recommend it?
Absolutely yes! We loved it. We really enjoyed the way that they did the Santa experience last year and loved the sunflower experience and our stay in their gorgeous new lodges over the Summer and so knew that a lot of care and detail would have gone into it and we weren’t wrong! The amount of planning and work that must have gone into the creation of this event is admirable and so appreciated at a time when lots of us have been worrying about things not being as magical as previous years. It doesn’t feel at all commercial, just very sweet but hugely impressive too, I couldn’t even begin to guess how many lights were used. There were adults and children looking around in awe, I loved it as much as the children did!
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