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Nicola experiences the magical Leonardslee Lights winter trail...
Friday was the perfect winter’s evening – clear, dry and cold – as we set off for Leonardslee Lights. Having driven to the Gardens we were directed to a parking spot and it was then a short walk to the main entrance. For those travelling by train a shuttle bus is running from Horsham train station to the Gardens for this event. There was a short queue into the entrance, accompanied by a general buzz of excitement, and once through it was a little walk down to the start of the trail which takes between 60 and 90 minutes.
The mini disco lights on the path leading to the main trail was a lovely start as we found ourselves surrounded by children chasing the lights on the floor. It doesn’t matter what age you are we all love a glitterball!
Once on the main trail you start to descend down into the gardens. The paths are gravel so you do need to watch your step but there are lights along the way and certainly no need to rush. You’ll find trees and statues lit up as well as the added lights so there is plenty to look at on the way. As expected there were lots of woodland themed lights so look out for various birds and animals along the way. We particularly liked the ‘star’ path until we spotted the huge earth light. Now that was something! Suspended over the lake amongst the trees, planet earth shone bright and was accompanied by lots of gasps and ‘that’s amazing’ from my husband. Of course it doesn’t stop there, as you continue around the lake you see the earth from various angles and don’t forget to look for it reflected in the lake. Even I manged to capture a relatively decent photo of that!
As you continue around the far side of the lake you start to see the water fountain display and it certainly pays to stop and watch this at different points. There is always something very calming about watching water so we stopped at the Engine House café to grab a hot drink and sat and watched the fountains whilst having a short rest.
From here you start the climb back up the gardens, so do be prepared for some steeper inclines, but you can stop and look at various light displays for a moments rest. We particularly enjoyed the carpet of lights at the top as they danced around the trees and sculptures.
Once completed you exit via the gift shop – lots of lovely ideas for Christmas presents – and a welcome warm up from the cold. You can then enter the fun fair and small Christmas market and feast on seasonal food from the Winter Street Food Area. This area is also available to enter prior to the trail.
Having never been to Leonardslee Lights before we were very impressed and it is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. Grab some tickets whilst you can: www.leonardsleegardens.co.uk/lights
Nicola
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Explore the wonder of our woodland gardens awash with light, sound and colour.
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