Christmas At Kingston Lacy Review

Reviewed by Lily Davis

I absolutely love Christmas, always have. My favourite part has to be the beautiful bright lights,
shining in the darkness. So I was particularly thrilled to be asked to review the after-dark Christmas lights trail at Kingston Lacy on opening night last night.

Kingston Lacy is a beautiful, lavish country home in rural Dorset surrounded by acres of parkland;
the perfect setting for a magical Christmas Trail.  Upon arriving at Kingston Lacy we were greeted by multiple car-parking attendants, very efficiently navigating us to our parking space. I was particular impressed by the helpfulness of the members of staff.

The trail itself is simply breath taking. Over a million twinkling lights set to a seasonal soundtrack, guiding you through the trail with anticipation. What I particularly loved is that the trail was designed in such a way that you can’t see what is to come. We felt like we were on a real adventure as we made our way through each of the different, perfectly planned sections. The finale is the house illuminated beautifully facing a field full of light orbs all changing colour, perfectly in time with the soundtrack. We stood and watched for ages, mesmerised by what we were seeing. Another favourite was the tunnel of lights. This is a beautiful spot to take a snap. We met a very jolly Santa towards the start of the trail, another perfect photo spot! There is no time limit to walk the trail, so we took our time, examining each display and really taking the beauty of the show. The lights are stunning, the projection images were crisp and the seasonal soundtrack that guests experience was clear; all adding to the professional experience.

Along the trail there were refreshment stops. We roasted marshmallows on an open fire half way round and I found the prices reasonable for a Christmas experience.

At the end of the trail you were back where you started, at what we named the Christmas Village. There are Victorian looking fairground rides for the children such as a merry go round and swing chairs. There were a few street food vendors. I particularly liked the look of the stone baked pizza vendor, again with reasonable prices. I would have loved a Christmassy cabin to make some purchases but there wasn’t anything to buy.

Guests are asked to book a time slot and start the trail at that time. Our time slot was fully booked however it didn’t feel busy at all. There was time to take photos without other guests being in the way and it didn’t feel too crowded at all which was unusual for a popular Christmas event. It’s another great reason to visit.

We absolutely loved the experience and would highly recommend. Grab your thick winter coats, hats and scarfs and off you go! A beautiful and magical way to start the Christmas season.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets start at £19.50. Trail runs until 24th December 2022.

To purchase tickets visit: https://christmasatkingstonlacy.seetickets.com/raymondgubbay/christmas-at-kingston-lacy