A Most Magical Time

Gibside Tyne & Wear

It wouldn’t be the most magical time of the year without a twinkling Christmas light trail. With everything from enchanting fairy-lit tunnels to themed light shows, these after-dark illuminated experiences have boomed in popularity over recent years. Throw in some mulled wine and festive music, and Christmas light trails have everything you need to add some sparkle to your winter this year. With so many to choose from, we’ve put together a list of the top Christmas light trails in the UK.

Christmas at the Botanics, Edinburgh

Founded all the way back in 1670, Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden’s lush landscape makes the perfect backdrop for this botany-themed trail that will be returning for the fifth year this Christmas. Wander amongst laser lights, giant luminescent sculptures, tunnels of light, giant baubles and sparkling snowflakes. Be sure to hang around for the grand finale too; a technicolour light show cast across the garden’s Inverleith House, this spectacle is just another way Edinburgh brings this historic facade to life.

A Most Magical Time Christmas at Gibside, Tyne and Wear

This spectacular light trail is what happens when lighting specialists, Ignite, partner up with one of the National Trust’s grandest Georgian estates. These eighteenth-century gardens near Newcastle are transformed into a sparkling winter wonderland each Christmas, complete with glowing woodland mushrooms, lantern-lit trails, illuminated trees and picture-perfect tunnels filled with twinkling lights. Don’t forget to look out for Father Christmas amidst all the action too!

Lightopia, Manchester

Lighting up Heaton Park for yet another year, this award-winning annual festival of light is bringing with it fresh installations and exciting new routes this Christmas. It’s advised to come hungry, as there’s an entire food court for your taste buds to explore. Once you’ve refuelled, an interactive music space, astronomy zone filled with space-themed installations, and synchronised light, sound and water show await.

Kew Gardens, London

Christmas at Kew Gardens, London

Arguably the most popular and established festive light trail in the South, Christmas at Kew Gardens uses its exotic plants and beautiful botanicals to give visitors a truly magical experience. New imaginative installations are added each year to keep the trail fresh. You can expect to see everything from treetop waterfalls and neonwrapped trees to flaming sculptures and spectacular water displays – all set against the impressive backdrop that is Kew’s gigantic greenhouse.

Christmas at Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire

One of the National Trust’s most visited properties, Waddesdon Manor’s Victorian country house and gardens are a spectacle to see at any time of year.

Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire

Add in the immersive light and sound installations, twinkling fairy-tale tunnels and a show-stopping light display, and you’re left with an immersive experience that never fails to amaze. To top it off, there’s even a Christmas fair that pops up each winter. Shop for presents while sipping mulled wine and nibbling mince pies.

Christmas at the Eden Project, Cornwall

Cornwall’s Eden Project is nothing short of inspiring, but seeing its world-famous biomes light up the landscape at Christmas could fool you into thinking you’ve travelled to another planet entirely. Mixing innovative light installations and live music with ice skating, a reindeer trail and Father Christmas himself, it’s the perfect place for the whole family to soak up the magic of Christmas.

The Eden Project, Cornwall