Spectacle of Light at Sudeley Castle

 Can you find the light this year?

Normally, at this time of year, we take our two youngest children on the Santa Special train ride from Toddington and meet the big man on the train.  Because of COVID, however, this year the event is cancelled so I wanted to find something else that was equally enchanting.  I looked into taking them to the illuminations at Blenheim because I have heard such good things about it but at nearly £90 for a family ticket, I worried that the children would not fully appreciate the experience.  So I alighted on the Spectacle of Light at Sudeley, for which we paid under £50 for a family ticket.  This seemed much more reasonable.

Our first hurdle was finding the entrance.  We, like the car in front of us, turned up at the exit where a young person had been posted to direct lost souls to the entrance.  I felt sorry for her sitting in the cold and dark, perhaps proper signage might be the easier option?  No matter.  She didn't look cold anyway.  I had anticipated the cold being the biggest deterrent to fun for this event, so I wore two coats as a precaution and can fully endorse this strategy.  I shall forever be a wearer of two coats now.

On arrival, parking was very easy and accessible, and there were lots of smiley attendants around to direct and give information.  We visited the little takeaway café before going into the grounds.  There was not a huge selection: Christmas cake, mince pies or packaged biscuits.  But hot chocolates all round and a couple of packets of biscuits was all the fuel we required before setting off.

The whole experience was magical and the children ran ahead, peering through all the gateways to see what awaited them next.  The building of the spectacle was excellent, starting small, travelling through illuminated walkways to the piece de resistance, the sugar plum fairy on her sparkling lake.  Throughout, attendants dressed in lit up blazers were on hand to give direction.

After the lake, the house and ruins really stole the show.  The ruins of Sudeley seem conjured as romantic spaces of the imagination meant to be seen lit up by night.  At around this point you are offered another opportunity to buy food and mulled apple juice but the children were so excited to see more we did not need to stop.  At the end you have the opportunity to visit the Sudeley shop which is a little gem of a gift shop, stocked as it is with all sorts of books about the history of Sudeley and at this time of year, lots of sparkling Christmas decorations.  The rain held off which felt like a special blessing and we left radiating good cheer, which has, at times this year, been sadly lacking.  I think that next year we will come again and perhaps leave the Santa train ride to families with younger children.  This will be our new festive tradition.