The Festival of Light

The Festival of light happens over the Christmas period and is one of our favourite festive adventures. 

You can either buy tickets for the whole park or just to see the lights. 

Every year the theme is different. 

The photos I have used are from the last five years, with themes like the many stories of Roald Dahl 

Grimms’ Fairy Tales 

monsters from the Greek myths

and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was the theme for Christmas 2023. 

Longleat

Longleat itself offers an action-packed day, during which you get up close to animals and safari by land and water.

Adventure Castle Play Area

There is also a huge Adventure Castle play area.

Nearest Town: Warminster
County: Wiltshire
Nearest Postcode: BA12 7NW

Adult Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 3

Opens: The Festival of Light happens during the Christmas period. Longleat itself is open daily during the summer but with seasonal closures.

Where to Eat: There are various cafes and you can bring a picnic.
Facilities: Snacks, ice cream, cafes, picnic areas, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: A full day.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free.

Wildlife You Might See: Zoo and safari park animals, including zebra, giraffes, camels, vultures, monkeys, an elephant, rhinos, deer, lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, insects and spiders, hippos, seals, gorillas, bats, anteaters, giant otters, meerkats and wallabies.

Information Written: January 2024

Our visit to Longleat and the Festival of Light, in Warminster, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Longleat

Longleat can be divided into two main areas – the Safari and the Main Square.

The Safari 

This has an African Village to explore on foot and a Safari Drive-Through to explore from a vehicle – either your own or the Longleat bus. 

Safari On Foot – The African Village

Here you can see lemurs, wallabies and tortoises

zebra, warthogs and goats and hand feed giraffes.  

Safari By Car – The Drive-Through

The Drive-Through has a commentary app, which is a fab idea that turns your drive into a live action, Kate Humble guided documentary.

East African Reserve

In the first section you can see ostriches, giraffes and tapirs

zebra, flamingos, pelicans and vultures. 

Monkeys

Next up are the monkeys.  Signs warn that the monkeys may damage your car.

As the gates open, Kate Humble chirps, “You have been warned…”. 

The monkeys maraud along the lines of cars. We have seen them take cars apart. 

You can choose to skip this enclosure if you like. 

Big Game Park

This has animals including Anne the elephant

a caravan of camels, a herd of Ankole cattle with horns of up to 2m long

a crash of rhinos and the Deer Park, where you can feed deer from your car.

The Carnivores

When we visited the big carnivore enclosures – tigers, lions, cheetahs and wolves – the tension from the back seat was palpable. 

The Main Square

The second part of Longleat is the Main Square, which has the house, cafes and refreshments and more animals. 

The Bat Cave

This is a bat roost and the bats fly freely around your head. 

Jungle Cruise

On the Jungle Cruise, you take a large boat that wouldn’t have been out of place in The African Queen – a sort of jungle steamer. 

We sailed past gorillas, colobus monkeys, lots of birds 

and two hippos, who were being used as an island by some cheeky ducks.

But our favourite part of the cruise is feeding the sea lions. 

They splash around the boat and make a lot of noise, jumping up out of the water to catch the fish you throw them (which you must buy).

Animal Adventure

This is home to animals like meerkats, anteaters and porcupines

binturong, fennec fox and a sloth

lorikeets you can hand feed 

crocodiles, giant otters and koalas. 

There is also a farmyard with animals including reindeer, wallabies and goats. 

Adventure Castle Play Area

Adventure Castle is a fantastic, castle-themed adventure play area. 

The play area’s centrepiece is a huge wooden castle with ramparts, walkways, nets and slides galore.

There is also an indoor soft play area for small children.

It has almost everything you can imagine for children of all ages – huge slides, climbing frames, swings and an obstacle course.

The Splash Pad

Jets of water activate when you press discs in the floor – some sprayed up, some sprayed down and some formed tunnels to run through. 

The perfect end to an adventure-filled day.

Nearest Town: Warminster
County: Wiltshire
Nearest Postcode: BA12 7NW

Adult Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 3

Opens: Daily during the summer but with seasonal closures.

Where to Eat: There are various cafes and you can bring a picnic.
Facilities: Snacks, ice cream, cafes, picnic areas, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: A full day.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free.

Wildlife You Might See: Zoo and safari park animals, including zebra, giraffes, camels, vultures, monkeys, an elephant, rhinos, deer, lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, insects and spiders, hippos, seals, gorillas, bats, anteaters, giant otters, meerkats and wallabies.

Information Written: July 2017
Information Checked: January 2024

Our visit to Longleat is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Longleat’s Adventure Castle

The play area’s centrepiece is a huge wooden castle with ramparts, walkways, nets, and slides galore.

I am not going to list out all of its equipment because it had almost everything you can imagine for children of all ages.

There is also an indoor soft play area for small children.

The Splash Pad

The splash pad’s jets of water activate when you press discs in the floor – some sprayed up, some sprayed down, some formed tunnels to run around. 

Nearest Town: Warminster
County: Wiltshire
Nearest Postcode: BA12 7NW

Adult Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Child Cost Range: Various – please see their website for details.
Free if: Under 3

Opens: Daily during the summer but with seasonal closures.

Where to Eat: There are various cafes and you can bring a picnic.
Facilities: Cafes, picnic areas, snacks, ice cream, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: A full day.
Buggies: Buggy friendly.

Parking: Large car park.
Cost of Parking: Free.

Wildlife You Might See: Zoo and safari park animals, including zebra, giraffes, camels, vultures, monkeys, an elephant, rhinos, deer, lions, tigers, cheetahs, wolves, insects, hippos, seals, gorillas, bats, anteaters, otters, meerkats and wallabies.

Information Written: July 2017
Information Checked: January 2024

Our visit to Adventure Castle Play Area at Longleat, near Warminster, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Stourhead

In Stourhead’s gardens, you find your eyes skipping between the sweeping lawns, contrasting trees, beautiful blue-green lake and unusual stone features. It’s a spectacular combination. 

The gardens are punctuated by stone features, including bridges, temples, a rock arch, a dam and a grotto.

You may recognise The Temple of Apollo as the location for Mr Darcy’s first proposal to Lizzie in the 2005 film of Pride and Prejudice.

The Grotto

My children loved exploring the Grotto. 

We discovered two statues, one of which is said to be the source of the River Stour. 

Nearest Town: Wincanton, near Yeovil
County: Wiltshire
Nearest Postcode: BA12 6QD

Adult Cost Range: £15 to £19.99
Child Cost Range: £5 to £9.99
Free if: Under 5 years or for National Trust members.

Opens: Daily but check before you go to make sure everything you want to visit is open.

Where to Eat: The restaurant, the Spread Eagle pub or bring a picnic.
Facilities: Snacks, ice cream, shop, cafe, toilets and accessible toilets.

How Long We Spent There: A full day.
Buggies: Buggy friendly but some of the paths are steep.

Parking: There is a large car park.
Cost of Parking: £4 per day but free for National Trust members. 

Wildlife You Might See: Ducks, swans, birds and insects.

Information Written: May 2018

Our visit to Stourhead in Wincanton, near Yeovil, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.

Snake’s Head Fritillaries

During April, these beautiful, bell-shaped plants flower pink, purple or white in colour and often have a chequered pattern, like snake skin. Once a common site, these flowers are now very rare.

Cricklade North Meadow

Cricklade North Meadow is essentially a large meadow with a choice of three walking routes. 

Check Before You Visit

If you are visiting to see the snake’s head fritillaries then have a look at the Cricklade North Meadow Fritillary Watch website before you go.  This tells you where in the meadow the best displays of fritillaries are so you can focus your visit.

The Paths

These are generally flat with either short grass or mud. They can become muddy during wet weather.  

Nearest Town: Cricklade, near Swindon
County: Wiltshire
Nearest Postcode: SN6 6DQ

Opens: Daily
Cost: Free

Where to Eat: Bring a blanket and a picnic.
Facilities: None

How Long We Spent There: 1 hour
Buggies: Choose a buggy that can handle stony paths and grass.

Parking: There is no car park but people park on the road next to the meadow’s entrance or in a lay-by between the meadow and the A419.
Cost of Parking: Free.

Wildlife You Might See: Bees, deer, ducks, butterflies and other insects.

Information Written: April 2017

Our visit to Cricklade North Meadow in Cricklade, near Swindon, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.