Take a walk in these winter wonderlands A

WINTER visit to gardens can make for an exhilarating experience through the holiday period. Aim for a sunny day, wrap up well against the December chill, don some comfy shoes and you’re all set!

Our great gardens realise they need to attract visitors throughout the year and lay on a host of attractions to counteract all our joyous eating and drinking.

And it’s not only the obvious beauty of scenic gardens during the day.

Our long winter evenings can be enhanced by visiting and enjoying some of the many gardens across the UK that are lit up for the Christmas period.

Every year, the Royal

Botanic Gardens in Kew,

South West London, does a spectacular Christmas display, where guests get to explore the gardens at night via an illuminated trail featuring more than a million festive lights.

This event is always booked out well in advance but there are lots of others nationwide – ones where you can soak up the atmosphere in beautiful gardens with an enchanting experience of light and colour while enjoying a mince pie and glass of mulled wine. Here’s a taster of some of what’s available...

Eden Project

ELTHAM PALACE AND GARDENS

THE grounds of London’s Eltham Palace are transformed into an illuminated world at Christmas.

Follow the trail as you step through tunnels and pathways of twinkling lights. The ancient moat comes to life with fountains that rise and fall to music – lose yourself in a captivating miniature maze of light.

Wander along the mirror ball alley as they shimmer in the moonlight and see beams of light criss-crossing through the night sky.

■ Greenwich, London, SE9 5QE (english-heritage.org.uk).

RHS Wisley