Up until today I thought I had covered most options when is came to visiting Father Christmas. We have done department stores, farms, garden centres and theme parks but I didn’t realise that today was going to surpass all of those for me.
We love being outdoors so when a friend of mine suggested a trip to Father Christmas in a crystal grotto at Painshill Park I was more than intrigued.
We arrived at Painshill after a good journey and easily found a parking space. From there we took a short walk to the entrance and collected our ticket.
We were early so we stopped for a coffee in their coffee shop which had a huge glass front giving you views out across the pretty grounds.
As you can imagine they were all champing at the bit to meet the man himself so we started our walk towards the grotto. They had set out cute signposts for the children to follow and the whole area had pretty fairy lights in the trees and along the paths. The magnificent trees were lit to show off their beauty.
It was about a 15 minute walk so we saved exploring the other stunning follies until after our visit. I stupidly listened to my Dad and didn’t take the buggy which was a big mistake as the walk was to much for number five and I had to do a lot of carrying. The pathways are well lit and smooth and fine to take your buggy along. Just before we got there we had a quick stop to see the ducks and if we went again we would take something along to feed them with.
We got to a beautiful wooden bridge from where the grotto was in sight. We walked through the marque doors and were hit by the smell of mulled wine as a friendly elf told us to take a seat and wait to be guided into the grotto.
We had a quick drink and were then taken to visit Father Christmas. The moment we stepped into the grotto I was astounded by how beautiful it was.
The crystals and walkways were adorned with pretty lights which made it even more magical.
Father Christmas gave us a really warm welcome and had a lovely chat with the children, well baring number five who was a little overwhelmed by it all.
They each got a gift to take home as we set off to do a little more exploring.
The gardens are vast and have something different around every corner. One off my highlights was the gothic tower that once reached is simply breathtaking.
The ruined Abby overlooks the pond and is a real sight to see.
The picture really don’t do these magastic grounds justice, you really have to see it to believe it. Our trip has doubled my Christmas spirit and we will be back next year for sure.
Gorgeous! I do miss this about living in the UK actually.
I have to admit we have toyed with the idea about moving abroad before but to be honest I do love the seasons you get in the UK and Christmas for me wouldn’t be the same in the heat x
Sounds like a truly magical place to visit the big man, and your photos are lovely! Glad you had fun x
Thank you, it was a best Santa trip yet! X
Looks like a great place to visit and lovely pictures #whatevertheweather
Thank you it really was a wonderful day x
What a wonderful way to meet Father Christmas, it looks magical and as you say I’m sure seeing those crystals lit up in real life was even better. Such a lovely spot to host a Grotto and it does make a difference to have a lovely Father Christmas who really chats to the children. It all sounds well worth the pretty 15 minute walk. Definitely a cut above your usual Santa visit. Thank you so much for sharing with me on Country Kids.
Wow, this looks stunning with the crystals and proper grotto/caves. And something a bit different to other grottos. #countrykids
It was so gorgeous, I will be making a return next year for sure! X
Wow what an absolutely breathtaking place!!! And such a different place to go and see Santa. It looks so magical. Especially walking along at dusk!! The fairy lights are so cute! I always have those moments too when I wish I had taken the pram! It sounds like you had a fab time regardless. Thank you so much for linking to #whatevertheweather xx
It looks amazing! How lucky you guys are to have visited the grotto to see Santa, looks much more spectacular than the usual Santa visits! I love all the little follys and they must have been quite spectacular in the dark too with the lights around. Beautiful photos!
Thanks so much for linking up to #Whaevertheweather š x
Wow! That looks like the coolest Santa Grotto ever! The kids are so smily and happy! Love them! I have pinned this on “Travel Bucket List” Hope that is okay with you. xx #WhateverTheWeather
Yes of course that’s fine! It really was the most magical place to visit Santa in xx