ONCE UPON A DREAM; Enchanted Winter Walk

Last night I went on the Enchanted Gardens Winter Walk at Brodsworth Hall in Yorkshire.  This beautiful stately home was all decked out in Christmas lights and all the gardens were lit up.  

I went with my mum, pictured here in the magical light tunnel and we had a lovely time.  These events take place every Christmas time at various stately homes and are run by the National Trust.  A few years ago we went to one in Sherwood Forest and that still remains the most magical one we've attended, but then Sherwood drips with magic all year round.  Brodsworth was very pretty and they had created a fairytale theme for their light display.

There was a mist shrouded fairy cottage and it was easy to imagine a witch lived there, looking after all the woodland creatures and befriending the fairies.  There was a model fairy village with tiny tutu fairy dresses hung on a washing line and a little fairy tree swing.  All the fairy houses were made from old cans, wellington boots and such like, and every now and then a tinkling laugh rang out from the shrubbery - like a fairy hiding away and watching everyone.  There were fly agaric mushroom houses too and an enchanted talking tree who introduced himself as the Guardian of Brodsworth and was 300 years old.

The rest was more adult, with the garden statues all lit up and music playing through the trees, so there was something for everyone.  There was a bonfire about halfway round, surrounded by log seats,  where we stopped for mince pies and mulled wine to warm up and you could toast giant marshmallows on the fire.  It was a pleasant festive picnic.

At the end of the walk was a small fairground and I won us a couple of stuffed Christmas toys for under our trees - mine is a gingerbread man and my mum's is a reindeer.  There were lots of hot food stalls too, so we finished the night off with hotdogs and roasted chestnuts.  It was a lovely night, blending together all the best of dark nights and fairylights, bonfires, games, music, food and drink.  I believe the event is on all this weekend and if you can't get to Brodsworth, check out the Enchanted Gardens page on the National Trust website to see if there is a similar event near you.  My mum and I had such a great time and it is always nice to visit stately homes at Christmas. Its such a fun, festive way to spend an evening and break up the monotony of the dark nights. I really enjoyed it.