Reviewed by Sandip Stapleton
We have a family National Trust membership and have been to Belton House in Lincolnshire numerous times and my kids absolutely love going there. We were lucky enough to receive Christmas at Belton tickets for our family, which consists of me, my husband and our two children aged 5 and 8 years old.
They were a little confused when we approached Belton House as to why we were going there in the dark but as soon as we turned into the grounds, we were met with ‘wow’ from them both. The hedges and bushes were covered and lit up with Christmas lights, and it looked magical. But that was only the start.
Once you are parked up, you walk up to the courtyard where there is a huge tree covered in lights. You then need to walk down a path flanked with smaller Christmas tree all lit up that takes you an area that houses wooden, brightly covered, wooden reindeer. At the end of the path you are guided into another courtyard where there are food and drink stalls, rides for the kids and the Trust gift shop. The rides are paid for with tokens that you can buy for £2.50 each. I thought that was quite expensive but luckily there are only a few rides. The rides themselves are an old fashioned, Victorian themed fairground which fit in nicely with Belton House’s feel.
The food was quite pricey too, nearly £4 for a bowl of chips. There is a nice Christmassy smell of mulled wine too. A lovely way to warm up in the chilly evening.
At the far end of the courtyard is the entrance to the Christmas lights trail. Unfortunately for us, it had rained a lot earlier that day so the paths were covered in mud and puddles. If I were to go again, I would definitely kit the family out in welly boots!
As soon as you go through the entrance you can begin your “magical, mile-long trail” as stated on the website. To be fair, it really is magical. The lights display is amazing and there is no repetition along the way. It feels like it is split into different sections and themes as you go along with adds to the excitement of what the next bit is going to be.
There was a field of raised white roses, decorated bridges and pathways, trees decorated in various themes, including ones where the rope lights danced and moved to the rhyme of angelic singing voices that filled the woods. The lakes were also light up so that you could see the statues that are dotted around.
My daughter especially liked the wicker images of the 12 Days of Christmas which were also accompanied with the song via the speakers that were dotted around.
Another impressive sight is the Fire Garden which consists of metal sculptures that have fires flickering around them. There are also 2 fires that you can toast marshmallows in to make smores. Unfortunately, this was also a chargeable activity at £1.50 a marshmallow. I have to admit this was quite disappointing as at £56 for a family ticket (if booked in advance, £64 on the day of visit) it would’ve been nice for them to have given a marshmallow to the kids for free.
On our way out we unfortunately just missed a Father Christmas show which was a shame so I can’t comment how good that was.
The main highlight of whole trail is the Tunnel of Light. It really is impressive and a lovely photo opportunity. It is made up with over 100,000 pea-lights into a high arched tunnel.
The whole trail got us into the Christmas spirit, but the Tunnel of Light really was the main showstopper.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £12 (child) to £64 (family), booking fee may be charged.
For more information or to book tickets online visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Belton House, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG32 2LS
