Five family-friendly Christmas days out including ice rinks, steam trains and immersive festive experiences
IT’S beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go!
Electrifying light trails, winter wonderlands, colourful markets, ice rinks and Santa specials have popped up across the country.
Trisha Harbord brings you a selection box of ideas on how to treat the family to a festive day out.
Crackin’ rinks
BRIGHTON’S Royal Pavilion is going green this Christmas, with its ice rink – open until January 7 – powered by renewable energy.
Laid out in front of the former royal pleasure palace, there’s a huge space for confident skaters and a separate area for beginners.
Tickets, from £9, royalpavilionicerink.co.uk.
THERE is a new, eco-friendly, covered rink at Attingham Park, a National Trust property in Shropshire, where you’ll glide in special boots along synthetic acrylic ice.
Open until January 7.
Adults from £8, children £4.
To find out more, see nationaltrust.org.uk.
WITH gold medallists Torvill and Dean coming from Nottingham, the city’s rink has to be super-special.
And it is.
You can skate around a sparkling tree while listening to favourite Christmas songs at the National Ice Centre.
Adults £11, children £10, under-fives free.
On selected dates until Christmas Eve, you can buy a special child’s ticket for £18, which includes skating, meeting Santa, a gift and drink.
See visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk.
THE ice at London’s Kensington Palace, the UK’s largest rink with room for 750 skaters, features a huge tree twinkling in the centre.
There’s a funfair and food hall serving mulled wine and festive food.
Adults £19, children £16.
See iceatkensingtonpalace.co.uk.
Amazing adventures
THE Magical Christmas Adventure, the UK’s biggest indoor festive experience, transports you to the North Pole during a three-hour storytelling journey.
Explore Santa’s lodge and grotto, woodlands with snowy trees in Sparkle Copse village and make cookies in the elves’ kitchen, in Headley, Hants, until December 24.
Adult from £30, child from £40 (includes a gift).
Under-ones go free.
See themagicalchristmasadventure.co.uk.
Hobbledown Heath adventure park in Hounslow, West London, has been transformed into Santa’s Secret Village, with reindeer walks, a grotto, elves and the big man himself reading a festive tale.
There’s also a treasure hunt and bear workshop.
Tickets from £20.
See hobbledown.com for details.
Step into the world of Narnia as the story of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe is brought to life.
Visit the winter wonderland at Leeds Castle in Kent.
The castle is illuminated and there’s a vintage carousel and festive treats.
Adult tickets £30, child £22.50, including unlimited visits to the castle for a year.
See leeds-castle.com.
A festive escape entirely underground – now that’s unique.
After walking through Wookey Hole caves near Wells in Somerset – adorned with 100,000 lights – visit Santa’s North Pole grotto where kids take home a toy from the elves’ workshop.
Then watch a Christmas-themed circus show in the theatre and a movie in the 4D cinema.
Until January 1, adult £22.45, child £17.95, under-threes £5.
See wookey.co.uk and visitbristol.co.uk.
Terrific tales
Starburst trees, dancing light water fountains, life-size illuminated deer, neon ropes and a 100-metre tunnel of 100,000 stars – it’s all in AGLOW, at Auckland Castle in County Durham.
The new 1½-mile trail through the grounds also includes the tallest Christmas tree in the north, standing at 32 metres.
It’s surrounded by Santa’s village, with stalls selling mulled wine and toasted marshmallows, live performances and vintage fairground rides.
Until December 31, adults £21.50, children £14.50, under-twos free.
English Heritage has super new light trails at four of its historical properties, along with other Christmas festivities including wreath-making and Santa visits at stately homes, palaces or castles across the country.
Walk through interactive colourful displays at Wrest Park, Beds, Kenwood and Eltham Palace in London and Kent’s Walmer Castle.
Yummy food and warming cocktails too.
Dates vary, and ticket prices start from around £17 – see english-heritage.org.uk.
THE spectacular trail at Dunham Massey Hall in Cheshire is bigger and better this year.
New creations include the Mycelium Network, a huge silver star, and hundreds of colour-changing origami boats.
Tickets for the display, until December 31, cost from £19 per adult, £12.50 per child.
It is one of Sony Music’s 11 trails at venues across the UK, including Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, where new highlights include a 26ft sphere filled with 20,000 moving LEDs.
Adults from £19.50, children £14.50.
Magical markets
Shop ‘til you are ready for a drop of mulled wine at Bath’s award-winning Christmas market, set around the beautiful abbey and Roman Baths.
There are 200 chalets selling a range of gifts including jewellery, toys, and candles, until December 10.
See visitbath.co.uk.
When it comes to the setting, Edinburgh’s market is a winner – nestled in the heart of the historic centre with views of the castle, Scott Monument and city skyline.
More than 70 stalls are selling hand-made gifts and local products.
East Princes Street Gardens is home to a 150ft Ferris-wheel, a Santa train and fairground rides until January 6.
Best of all festive fun in Southampton – a market, light show and rides.
More than 30 chalets, brimming with gifts and food until January 2, are alongside a Ferris wheel and ride Atmos Fear, which swings thrill-seekers 80ft into the sky while spinning them 360 degrees.
A spectacular projection show lights up the historic Bargate monument, every 30 minutes between 5pm and 9.30pm until Christmas Eve.
JOIN in with carol singing at the Magic of York market where 75 alpine huts fill Parliament and St Sampson’s squares.
There’s scrumptious Yorkshire food and drink – cheese, jam, sweets, beer and gin – among the artisan gifts and, those lucky enough to live in the area get ten per cent off.
See visityork.org.
Steam players
Railways are running Santa Specials with music, elves and presents on board.
Hop on the North Yorkshire Moors train from Pickering or Grosmont.
Various dates until Christmas Eve, ticket £30.
See nymr.co.uk.
Kids are given a drink, treat and activity pack while adults sup on a liqueur while travelling through the Leicestershire countryside.
Every child also gets a gift and golden ticket to ride the Great Central Railway for free throughout 2024, when accompanied by a fee-paying adult.
From Loughborough Central station, tickets cost £24.
See gcrailway.co.uk.
Steam Dreams are running Christmas day trips for families and an evening dinner event for adults.
Departing from London Victoria four times a day, Santa and his elves are on board for the one-and-a-half-hour trip around the capital.
Tickets for December 15, 18 and 21 cost from £55.
The Spirit of Christmas is a five-hour soiree from London Paddington through Berkshire and Wiltshire.
Take your own food or enjoy a four-course festive dinner.
Tickets from £95, with dining from £275.
See steamdreams.co.uk.
PUT on your PJs to join characters on The Polar Express, based on the book and movie starring Tom Hanks.
There’s singing, dancing and hot chocolate as you depart Swanage, in Dorset, for the North Pole.
Tickets until December 30 from £46, under-3s free.