If there is a sure-sign that Christmas is coming, it is not the Coca-Cola lorry coming to a supermarket car park near you but the sight of twinkling fairy lights from one of the many winter light trails that are now seemingly part and parcel of the build-up to the festive season.
Luminate is one of the relative newcomers with now eight venues across the UK hosting a winter light trail for all the family to enjoy. I have had the pleasure again of seeing one of them, Luminate at Coombe in Warwickshire, in all its seasonal splendour for 2023, and once again it has not disappointed.
Set in the historic woodland and parkland of Coombe Country Park adjacent to the opulent Coombe Abbey Hotel, the team at Luminate have delivered another spectacular winter wonderland.
This year’s redesigned light trail just has Christmas written all over it with some great new interactive additions along the one and half mile route, together with the return of some of the favourite features from the last few years. See if you can spot them!
What does it for me again though is the Luminate’s team’s imaginative and clever use of the parkland’s assets to such stunning effect. Combining the scale and splendour of the towering trees and bushes with the rippling waters of the park’s cascading ponds and lakes together with the varied and atmospheric lighting is really something and a sight to behold.
It’s worth nothing that there are now food and drink outlets at the starting point of the trail by the main pavilion and again at the midway point of the trail with chance to buy marshmallows and toast them over the fire pits. As the temperatures are gradually dropping, you will be glad to grab a bite to eat or something warm and festive to drink. I can highly recommend the filled yorkshire puddings.
It would be wrong of me to go into too much more detail as I wouldn’t want to give too much away, but the images below will provide you with a small flavour of what you can expect to enjoy.
One bit of advice I would give you is that if you have not booked tickets, do so quickly as the popular timeslots do book out and early, and you wouldn’t want to miss out.
The Landlocked Traveller 