Wrest Park Light Trail 2023: Festive fun at new interactive Christmas event

As a lover of the Christmas season, I just had to visit Bedfordshire’s new light trail at Wrest Park.

Wrapping up in gloves and scarves, I braved the minus-degree weather to visit the winter wonderland with my mother.

After our bag and ticket check, we were raring to go and explore all that the new trail had to offer.

It begins with a gorgeous view of the country house, illuminated with bright colours and patterns – before leading to a fountain and singing statues. If you’re a fan of Christmas songs, I hope you love this.

We then followed the trail past multi-coloured trees and illuminated forest animals. Don’t forget to look up for the illuminated owl, which can be found perched on one of the large branches. I loved this section of the walk and marvelled at how cute the animals were.

The trail then winds around to the Chinese Pavilion, with lanterns lining the way. In this section, there is a Chinese Summerhouse that has beautiful images projected on to it. The summerhouse looked unrecognisable in the dark, but I could have stood and watched those projections forever.

If you’re feeling the cold by this point – you’re in luck! Around halfway through the trail, there is an opportunity to buy food and drink that will help you keep warm.

After the pause for hot chocolate, we watched the light projections circling in the sky above us. We had both spotted the lights on the way to the event, and the reflections looked very pretty on the ice-cold water below.

We continued onwards to the ‘Continuum’ installation, which features 25 mirrored monoliths that create an atmospheric sound as you walk through them. I found this feature to be a fun addition to the walk, and even though it isn’t something I’d naturally associate with a Christmas event, I’m glad it was included.

The installation takes you off of the guided path slightly – so make sure to keep an eye out for this section, as it could be missed.

After finishing the trail, we took the opportunity to look at the warming drinks and festive food available – which includes a crepe stall, a loaded fries stall, a duck rotisserie stall, and more. I opted for a delicious chocolate crepe and ate it in the outdoor seating. There is also a balloon stall and a small amusement area for children.

The light trail will be open to visit until January 1. Some of the available dates have a designated ‘Quiet Slot’ time, which has a lower capacity and lower sound levels but takes place at dusk.

Be aware there’s no opportunity to visit the toilets once you have started – so it’s recommended you go before you start.

Tickets can be purchased on the MyTicket website, and ticket prices vary by date and time.