We’ve definitely been getting into the Christmas spirit in this house recently. Last weekend we headed to Westonbirt Arbouretum, inTetbury, Gloucestershire for the launch of their annual enchanted Christmas event. What a magical night it was too:


Our youngest girls were not that excited about going as they were missing their school disco (I had agreed to go before the disco date was released). However, as soon as we drove into the car park and spotted lights, they began to smile. Being out in the woods at nighttime is a little bit magical itself. Add in pretty lights and it gets a whole lot better. “I think this might be quite good after all” I heard them excitedly say as they chatted amongst themselves and skipped down the path towards the entrance:


We headed to the trail itself first as we were meeting up with friends. I’m not sure what we expected but right from the start we were all smiling. It really was as enchanting as the name suggests:

The talking tree was a huge hit with our three girls aged 7, 9 and 11 and they couldn’t wait to discover more:

After that we bumped into fairies, played on a music lights station and even bumped into Father Christmas  himself. He was wearing his traditional green forest robes which confused Rosie no end until he told her he likes to wear green on Fridays! We weren’t expecting to see him or to be given a little present either so the girls were delighted as you can imagine:

I think the girls favourite bits were the musical lights, the Santa’s sleigh launch station with smoke and lights and the dance screen at the end. Lots of fun for all ages. Even better because we were sharing it with friends:

After the trail we headed to the delightful Christmas village. We listened to the choir sing Christmas carols whilst playing in the snow and then headed in search of food:

We didn’t have to look far and there was so much choice. Burgers, huge hot dogs and hog roasts, big fat chips covered in ketchup or mayonnaise and hot chocolates for everyone. It was fab and we all filled up as you do. Thankfully we took plenty of actual money as most food stalls only took cash, definitely something to remember:

The night didn’t end there though, oh no! There was a craft tent where you could make your own tree  decorations. We were getting pretty cold by this point as the sun had completely gone down. So the girls (and their Daddies) got stuck in and  fully embraced this activity, whilst sheltering from the wind:

Finally there were fairground rides to finish off. Our three and their friends  all had a couple of rides each which made their night. Daisy loved the traditional carousel whilst big sister Poppy went on a big wheel for the first time.  The only complaint was you saw nothing but dark up there. It would have been good to look out to the lights. Maybe something to think about for next time:


The Westonbirt Arboretum Enchanted Christmas runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from now until Sunday 22nd December 4-9pm. You do need to book in advance so just click on the above link for more information, prices or to book your tickets. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Oh and for the record, I heard my youngest two agree that it might have even been better than the school disco as they headed towards the car park. I think that speaks volumes.

Karen x

Disclaimer: We were provided with free entry and half price food in return for this blog post and social media coverage. However, it was a fantastic night and we would happily pay to go again.