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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Milo Boyd

UK’s 10 best Christmas light shows from beautiful gardens to giant glitterballs

The festive season is here and that means the UK's beautiful Christmas illuminations are being switched on - and this year, there are some dazzling trails for families to discover.

The humble and reliable town centre light switch-ons have had stiff festive competition.

Country houses, botanical gardens, castles and many more types of venues have been bursting through the dark winter nights with increasingly technically impressive light shows.

The country's light and audio designers have really been upping the ante with spectacular light tunnels, dancing fountains and coordinated displays of luminosity.

Here are 10 of the best Christmas light shows in the UK right now...

Christmas at Kew

Kew Gardens has been wowing visitors with its festive light trail (Getty Images)

The festive illumination show has returned to Kew, making the most of the famous gardens many beautiful plants and stunning trees.

Guests walk along an illuminated path from the main entrance round the outside of the great glass houses, visiting displays made by different art collectives along the way.

Some are abstract and immersive, taking visitors into golden snowstorms and among a flock of glowing doves, while others - such as the Let It Go sound tracked fountain at the end, are more in your face.

Adult tickets cost £21.50 off-peak, and £28 a peak times.

Sandringham Light Trail

The King's estate has been opened up to visitors this Christmas (PA)

The mile-long Winter Light Trail through the Royal Parkland in Norfolk has already returned for its third year, having proven to be a big hit with punters.

The light trail takes between 60 and 90 minutes to complete and will run until December 18 on the iconic royal estate.

Ambient music will play in the background as visitors wander along a lit-up trail that is a mile long, with fire pits roaring for the toasting of marshmallows.

Tickets start at £11.50 for children, £16 for adults.

Durham Massey

The National Trust estate has been set ablaze with lights (Liverpool Echo)

The Cheshire light trail opens with two large sparkling reindeer at the entrance who give way to a series of joyous displays running across the National Trust estate.

These include a 'garden' made up of 150 light-up roses that glow in time to the music and fire lanterns which hang in the woods.

There are plenty of larger-than-life illuminations, including a particularly shiny Father Christmas, to spot along the way.

The trail takes 90 minutes to complete and is being put on to fund conservation work on the estate.

Ticket prices start at £22.50 for adults, £14.50 for children.

Roundhay Park

The Roundhay trail is new this year (Christmas at Roundhay Park)

A newly set up lights trail is set to enchant the people of Leeds when it opens on December 8.

Wicker sculptures, a fire garden, light shows and music installations have been promised by the organisers, who've tried to fill one of Europe's biggest parks with festive illuminations.

Guests are invited to wander through part of its 700 acres of grounds were more than one million twinkling lights and laser have been installed.

In the Fire Garden you'll be able to witness the hundreds of flame heads intertwined with Lantern Trees, echoing the Victorian-style street lamps

Adult tickets cost £19.50 and children's £15.

Westonbirt

(Christmas at Blenheim)

The Wiltshire Arboretum is home to 2,500 species of tree that originally grew across all corners of the world.

This year a trial through the trees has been laid on featuring a group of woodland elves.

Father Christmas will be located along the woodland trail to greet visitors alongside his trust elves.

On December 3 from 4pm to 5pm the trail will be adapted to suit those with additional needs such as autism.

Adult entry is £19, children got in for £11.

Botanic Garden of Wales

The lights dance between the garden's many trees (https://luminate.live)

Visitors to the Carmarthenshire gardens are invited to immerse themselves in a mesmerising mile long walk through stunning light tunnels set to ambient music.

There will be giant glitterballs, fairy lights and trees lit up in festive colours.

"As darkness descends, join us on our enchanting journey, as we weave a captivating light trail through the stunning, gardens and grounds of the Garden of Wales," the Gardens' website tempts.

Entry for adults costs from £15 and children from £11.

Leeds Castle

Kent's Leeds Castle has started its own light show (https://leeds-castle.com/)

Another new event this year is being held at Leeds Castle, which is confusingly not in Yorkshire but Kent.

More than one million lights and lasers will attempt to distract visitors from the castle's baffling geographic location.

Other fun features include giant baubles and a fire garden bringing a flickering warmth.

A variety of international artists have contributed to the light displays which are choreographed to work in tandem with festive backing music.

An adult ticket costs £21.50 while children get in for £15.

Wollaton Hall

Wollaton Hall has been transformed into a festive light spectacular (PA)

Christmas light enthusiasts in the Midlands will be well aware of the trails that are yearly set up as this impressive manor.

This year guests can soak up the atmosphere through installations such as the Brilliant Baubles, Shimmering Street and Three Ships.

The trail is designed to move through the verdant garden and loyal visitors will be happy to know that it is is freshly designed each year.

"It felt like an escape from the outside world," Visit Nottinghamshire wrote in a recent review.

Off-peak adult ticket start at £19.50 and kids tickets from £14.

Thursford Enchanted Journey of Light

Thursford has become a light up fantasy land (Thursford)

The Fakenham, Norfolk estate has been turned into a fantasyland this Christmas where visitors can wander past penguins, polar bears and giant teddy bears.

Elves working hard with the wrapping machine in Father Christmas's toy factory and snowball flinging snowmen also feature on the trail.

Guests can also bask in the festive glow of the Lantern Light Extravaganza and fantasy underwater world.

Visitors can also spend some time whizzing around at the vintage funfair which is on-site.

Tickets cost £20.

Blenheim Palace

One of the most imposing manor houses in the country becomes a riot of colour at Christmas (Christmas at Blenheim)

The huge Oxfordshire estate is making its Christmas lights debut this year.

Glittering light displays and fields of fire illuminate the imposing manor house, while guests are led through glittering tunnels of light, dancing lakeside reflections and trees drenched in jewel-like colour.

Inside the palace has been transformed into a festive wonderland with rooms including a silvery frost-covered forest and wintery Kingdom of Ice adorned with larger-than-life shimmering crystals.

Adult tickets cost £25, children's tickets £18.

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