As darkness falls the enchantment begins when the Ignite Trail lights up in the gardens of Kingston Lacy.
Ignite is a magical walk through the gardens of Kingston Lacy a beautiful National Trust property near Wimborne. The house itself is dappled with shades of purple.
The trail begins in a garden of fragile white roses before passing in front of the house and following the path through a carpet of blazing torches. As the wind catches the naked flames they dance and shimmer and their smoke creates a misty veil around the neighbouring parkland. I pass a fire-breathing dragon and some silvery fish that appear to be swimming amongst the undergrowth.
Turning left at the obelisk the path loops around encompassing some intricate woven sculptures of Mr Badger, Mr Robin and Mr Snail. The detail is impressive especially the silvery trail behind Mr Snail. It had been raining earlier in the day but this enhances my experience as the lights from the trees are reflected in the puddles below them.
The last section of the trail winds its way around the Fernery which has been adapted to represent the woodland folk – good and bad. Little monsters prance around toadstools and fairies flutter inside glass lamps. A unicorn watches all the comings and goings from a safe distance amongst the trees.
Whatever your age you will enjoy the colour and creativity of this splendid mixture of flames, lights and music. Book your tickets now – dates, prices and availability can be found here.
Valery Collins is the Experienced Traveller
An excellent raconteur, Valery has been writing about her experiences on the road since she started travelling 25 years ago. After publishing 4 books she turned to online travel writing and photography. Today she is editor, features’ writer and reviewer for ExperiencedTraveller.com and regularly contributes guided city walks to GPSmyCity.com