Review: Northampton’s Winter Light Trail is festive and nice but overpriced

The Chronicle & Echo was invited to attend The Winter Light Trail at Delapre Abbey last week.

I attended their event last year and wrote a glowing review after thoroughly enjoying the experience so, venturing onto the Abbey’s grounds on Friday (November 25), my expectations were very high.

I came at the earliest time slot - 4pm - so the grounds were not very busy and I was booked into one of their chalets, where you get one hour 50 minute slots.

The chalets are very snug and cosy with heaters installed and a large ceiling-to-floor window so you have a good view of the grounds outside. There are lots of pillows and two blankets provided for extra warmth and - the best part - table service so you don’t have to keep going out into the cold when you want a hot beverage.

Speaking of beverages, I enjoyed a Bailey’s hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows, followed by a rhubarb and ginger cocktail. The table service was top-notch with a friendly member of bar staff looking after each chalet and checking up on us regularly.

I was impressed with the festive drinks menu, the vintage pick and mix sweet stall and the street food. There was even an open fire, where you could roast marshmallows on a stick.

This year, The Winter Light Trail promised an “all new longer trail for 2022.” Well, the trail was certainly longer… just more spread out.

Luckily I came equipped with boots because parts of the trail are very uneven and muddy, where tiles had not been put down outside. There were some complaints last year about the lack of wheelchair access but the company has warned about this on their website.

We wandered through the woodland and admired the trees adorned with fairy lights, hanging baubles and illuminated 3D reindeers, which were very pretty.

With the walk being more spread out this year, there were parts of the trail where we walked through patches of darkness to Christmas music before getting to the next attraction. Some of the trail’s path is lit up by fairy lights - ideally, the whole trail should have this.

Notable favourite features include the disco ball area, the tunnel of fairy lights - which makes for a good photo - and the giant gingerbread house. This year’s trail even saw the return of a special effect with the push of a button from last year.

The trail was overall enjoyable - but it has so much more potential. Features like the bubbling cauldron and the iconic giant bauble from last year’s trail is what cements in people’s minds because they can interact with it. The trail needs to focus more on these.

My personal preference would be to have a shorter trail with more going on. When visitors were promised a longer trail, I think it’s fair to say people assumed more lights.

Can we really complain about less lights with the rise in energy prices though? If tickets were £5, then no. Adult tickets are, however, £17 at peak times and £15 at off-peak times. Family tickets are up to £60. These prices do not include the cost of hiring a chalet, which is an additional £20.

Overall, I spent £30 on four drinks and - had the chalet and trail tickets not been gifted - would have spent £65 on just myself. I brought my mum and her friend along for her birthday and - as she concentrated on not slipping in the mud - I recall her saying with laughter, “Thank god I had a drink before this.”

Did I enjoy this year’s Winter Light Trail? Absolutely. Was the whole experience worth £65? Not on your nelly.

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