BeWILDerwood Cheshire’s Christmas lights trail – all you need to know
Full guide and review of BeWILDerwood Presents Christmas – A Sparkly Light & Panto Trail
BeWILDerwood Cheshire’s first ever Christmas lights event has begun.
The woodland attraction is already an established favourite day out for lots of families since it opened last year.
And now lots are going to experience its Sparkly Light and Panto Trail by night.
We were lucky enough to get a sneak preview, here is everything you need to know.
Name
BeWILDerwood Presents Christmas – A Sparkly Light & Panto Trail
What is it?
It is a light trail along new woodland pathways, a 10-minute pantomime, BeWILDerwood characters and a glimpse of Santa Claus himself, with a special gift for all children to take home.
A giant Christmas pudding
BeWILDerwood itself is a family attraction based on magical characters and their adventures from children’s books written by Tom Blofeld. The adventure park is all in woodland and includes treehouses, slides, den building, storytelling and zip wires – BeWILDerwood Cheshire – review, guide and top tips.
Where is it?
At BeWILDerwood Cheshire – north of Whitchurch on the A49 in south west Cheshire near the border with Shropshire.
What did we think?
This was a lovely Christmassy, magical evening out to get you in the festive mood.
It’s a lengthy walk along twinkly trails through gingerbread men, candy canes, disco lights, snowmen and more with occasional interactions with BeWILDerwood characters.
Halfway around is the mini pantomime and food stop, the second half of the walk is even better with Christmas trees, a lake and fake snow falling.
The 10-minute pantomime
As it was the launch night, we were lucky enough to talk to the BeWILDerwood author himself Tom Blofeld, who was walking the route to see everyone’s reactions.
He has written a new Christmas-themed story to add to his collection of books, which introduces new characters. There are glimpses of the story along the route.
Highlights
*The staff are welcoming and friendly.
*There is hot chocolate available to buy before you begin the trail.
*There are a couple of parts in the second half where ‘snow’ falls – you will still be wearing dots of it in the car on the way home.
*Every child receives a copy of Tom Blofeld’s new Christmas story to take home as well as a craft.
Top tips
*You get to see Santa at the end, you can wave at him but there is not a meet and greet or grotto situation.
*Tickets need to be booked in advance and you are given an arrival timeslot of 4pm, 4.30pm, 5pm, 5.30pm, 6pm or 6.30pm.
*The park closes at 8pm.
*This event runs when it is dark so all the play structures, zip wires, slides etc are closed. Also, parts of the trail are very dark such as around the pantomine area, you might need to use a phone light to see where you are going.
*Annual pass holders get free entry but still need to book a space by calling 01829 830 730.
The author
Tom Blofeld’s books include A Boggle at Bewilderwood, The Bewilderbats and A Bewildermuddle.
He hopes the event will bring the magic of Christmas and the magic of BeWILDerwood together.
BeWILDerwood Presents Christmas – A Sparkly Light & Panto Trail information
Dates: It runs on selected dates from December 2 to 23.
Food: Food is available at the Munch Bar where there are warm snacks and hot drinks for sale including hot dogs, turkey baps, steak slices, cheese slices and picnic boxes for children including a ham or cheese roll and crisps.
Munch Bar menu
Opening hours: Time slots start at 4pm and the park closes at 8pm.
Cost: Tickets must be booked in advance online and cost £15.50 per person. Children under 92cm, carers and wheelchair users are free but everyone needs a ticket.
Best for: All ages.
Time needed: An hour and a half.
Access and restrictions: The trail is accessible for wheelchairs, pushchairs and mobility scooters but can be very dark, narrow, bumpy in places and may be muddy.
Address: BeWILDerwood Cheshire, Bickley Moss Cheshire SY13 4JF.
To book: www.cheshire.bewilderwood.co.uk