On Thursday 24th November, the Local News took a visit to Christmas at Belton and the opening night of the light trail ,which winds through the gardens at National Trust owned Belton House.
This year, publisher Mark took the short trip to Grantham with his young family to enjoy what turned out to be a fantastic evening.
After an afternoon of heavy rain, we arrived prepared with wellies, hats, gloves and thick winter coats – although within minutes the hats and gloves were dispatched to ‘Dad’s pockets!” We thankfully also missed all the rain!
We wandered over to the house from the very well lit car park, with members of staff regularly pointing us in the right direction.
Having never been to a light trail before, we weren’t overly sure what to expect but wow! It was fantastic!
Having two younger boys aged 7 and 10, you’re always weary of when concentration and attention may begin to wander, however both boys were amazed by the differing flickers of light and accompanying music.
Halfway around, we stopped for a flavoured marshmallow, which we toasted over an open fire and had a little chat with Santa Claus, who even remembered the boys from last year once he’d been reminded of their names!
My wife snapped merrily away on her phone, with one of our personal favourites being the rainbow boats on the lake! I won’t tell you too much and ruin your visit!
It took us around 90 minutes to get all the way around with a few places to stop and admire the effort and sheer volume of lights for everyone to see.
At the end, in the courtyard to the house, a number of fairground rides were set up to enjoy (at an additional cost) as well as differing food and drink outlets.
The comment from Olly, my 7 year old was; “That was amazing and the marshmallow was yummy.’ And Josh (10) suggested: ‘I can’t believe how many lights there were, can we come again next year?’
All in all, it was a fantastic evening out and one that I’d recommend to all my family and friends.
Discover a Christmas illuminated trail for all the family set within the beautiful landscape of Belton House. Christmas at Belton will be running until 1st January 2023. The festive trail is open on selected dates. For full details and bookings please visit http://christmasatbelton.com.