It's the most wonderful time of the year, no doubt about it, and experiences like the illuminated trail at Blenheim Palace just enhance that feeling. Christmas at Blenheim Palace is a worthwhile trip for friends and family to enjoy.
On Sunday 12th December me and my family visited the attraction at this beautiful stately home to make the most of the festive spirit we missed out on last year. Sadly we didn't go into the Palace to see the rooms all decorated like the Nutcracker, but we did spend plenty of time in their festive market, on the fair ground rides and walking around the trial.
Upon arrival we were presented with fair ground rides and food stalls to buy your mulled wine from. We had a cheeky ride on the carousel and was mesmerised by the magical effect the courtyard gained as sun began to set.
On either side of every archway beautiful real Christmas trees stood, lit with hundreds of fairy lights, which looked stunning as the evening began to arrive. Nutcrackers were dotted next to a couple, carrying the display from the Palace rooms outside into the open.
The Market
Walking into the larger courtyard, the words 'Blenheim Palace' illuminated the main entrance to the beautiful building. Turning around to face the main entry to the gardens was a quaint festive market filled with small businesses and food and drinks venders.
After spending plenty of time walking around the market and picking up some delicious gin, we grabbed ourselves a hotdog and spiced apple cider before getting excited to go into the gardens and see the light trail we had so eagerly waited for.
The Light Trail
With over a million, lights, lasers and sounds to feast your eyes and ears upon, Blenheim Palace's light trail is a truly magical experience for all ages. We entered the gardens at around 4:15pm and spent just under 2 hours walking the trail.
On the lake, designers had placed a moon with lights dotted around to represent the stars. Following the path, you are led through a walkway of giant snowflakes to a garden of illuminated flowers that look as if it could have been taken straight out of a Barbie movie.
Walking through the gardens honestly felt like an extraordinary experience. We reached a glittering tunnel where we did manage to make use of a quiet pocket to take some photos. Leading onto a walkway lit up by shooting stars, you could watch the Palace be illuminated by lights, coordinated to music (my personal favourite was the light show in sync with the Love Actually score). I could have stood there for hours watching the show, the coordination that went into those light performances was insane and very admirable.
There were multiple pit stops along the way for us to pick up a drink, snack and nip to the loo (which is always appreciated when you're walking around acres of land for who knows how long). At one stop you even get the chance to meet Santa Clause and toast marshmallows on a fire.
With Christmas music filling the gardens at ever turn, the atmosphere at Blenheim Palace is intoxicatingly festive. Following several more light displays and a fire garden, we reached the end of the trail and sat down for a cup of tea before calling it a day.
The light show at Blenheim Palace is available until 3rd January so make sure to book your tickets to see this phenomenal experience before it finishes. The craftsmanship and coordination that has gone into this event is fantastic and well worth the money!
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