We’re large followers of festive lights – lantern parades, illuminated gardens and fantastical installations that actually mild up your faces and dance to their very own seasonal tune. They add a contact magic to the lengthy winter nights. The Bournemouth Christmas Tree Wonderland is one such occasion.
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Household information to Bournemouth Christmas Tree Wonderland path
On this publish I’m sharing what you possibly can anticipate when Bournemouth’s Christmas lights return in 2022, together with every little thing you must know for a magical time out or keep in Bournemouth.
What’s the Christmas Tree Wonderland?
Greater than 100 illuminations and lightweight installations run from the well-known pier, by way of the Victorian Decrease Gardens to an Alpine fashion market in The Sq., as much as the Triangle, Beale Place, Horseshoe Frequent and the Lansdowne roundabout.
Alongside the way in which there are avenue stalls and cafes promoting bratwurst, sizzling chocolate, churros and the compulsory seaside ice cream, in addition to an ice skating rink.
On the path’s centre is Bournemouth’s personal walk-through Wonderland Tree stands 60ft tall with 30,000 individually programmed lights that carry out to music.
There may also be replicas of worldwide Christmas timber, representing cities from throughout the World. After we visited, the one modelled on Seattle’s tree was my favorite.
Bournemouth Christmas Tree Wonderland map
Decide up a path map at one of many entrances to Decrease Gardens to ensure you don’t miss something. You can too discover the Christmas Tree Pageant map on-line.
The 2022 map shall be obtainable on the Wonderland web site when it launches. However for a taster, right here’s the 2021 map.
Attending to Bournemouth’s Christmas lights
By automobile – there are many automobile parks in Bournemouth city centre. The PaybyPhone app is extensively used for automobile park and on avenue parking in Bournemouth.
By bus – Bournemouth buses cease close to the route of the Christmas Tree path. Bus stops to purpose for are: Bournemouth Pier, Westover Street, Bournemouth Sq., Wootton Gardens and Lansdowne.
By practice – Bournemouth Practice Station is a ten minute stroll from the path at Lansdowne roundabout. From right here you possibly can observe the practice in direction of the seafront.
How lengthy do you want for the Christmas Tree Wonderland path?
We spent six hours taking advantage of the entire expertise, beginning with ice skating when the rink opened at 10.30am and managing to maintain our ladies (aged six and four-years-old on the time) going lengthy sufficient to see the lights at nightfall.
What time do the lights come on in Bournemouth?
To see the lights at their best possible arrive after 4pm when the sunshine and audio exhibits begin. These often occur each half an hour between 4pm and 9pm.
Keep in mind that the path shall be at its busiest after darkish, so could be tougher with younger youngsters.
There are a number of routes by way of or across the gardens and illuminations should you get caught in a crowd.
Is the Christmas Tree Wonderland free?
Sure! It’s FREE to stroll by way of Decrease Gardens and see the Christmas Tree Wonderland itself, however you could wish to finances for a number of additional actions to make it a particular Christmas time out.
For an summary check out our Christmas Tree Wonderland Bournemouth video:
Please word: the massive wheel shouldn’t be working this Christmas.
Extra issues to do at Christmas in Bournemouth
Right here’s some extra issues to do while you’re having fun with a festive time out in Bournemouth:
Bournemouth Christmas Market
Bournemouth Christmas Market is on this yr with meals and present stalls in an alpine setting round Bournemouth Sq..
There’s additionally an Alpine Bar and Apres Terrace.
The market is open between 10 November 2022 and a couple of January 2023.
Go to a pantomime in Bournemouth
This yr’s pantomime at Bournemouth Pavilion, Magnificence and the Beast, stars Eastenders’ Emma Barton (Honey Mitchell). She’ll be donning wings and taking over the magical character of Fairy Bon Bon.
E-book tickets for Magnificence and the Beast.
Ice skating
Skate is an actual ice rink on the prime of Decrease Gardens. It’s a very long time since both Mr Tin Field or I’ve been ice skating and the ladies have solely had a go on plastic rinks.
It’s protected to say skating was successful, regardless of me feeling like a child giraffe and everybody getting soggy socks.
The rink is outdoor so the rain from the night time earlier than had settled on the ice making the floor moist. However that didn’t detract from the skating expertise, which was implausible.
We booked for the ten.30am when the rink was quieter and there have been loads of skating aids. This was the best time to go for wobbly me and the youngsters who took a little bit of time to achieve confidence on the ice.
In the meantime, Mr Tin Field rapidly regained his skating expertise gained as a teen!
After skating it’s good enjoyable to go to the Alpine Bar which is connected to the rink. We will suggest a luxurious sizzling chocolate for serving to you heat up. There’s additionally avenue meals, music and festive cubicles for chilling in after a skate.
This yr the ice rink is open from 17 November 2022 to three January 2023.
Examine the Skate Bournemouth web site for 2022 ice skating costs.
Smugglers Cove journey golf
This 18 gap journey golf course was nice enjoyable to do after lunch.
The staging is good and there have been some tremendous difficult holes that introduced out the aggressive streak in Mr Tin Field and I, even when the ladies had been content material with whacking the ball round as a lot as attainable.
Examine the Smugglers Cove web site for the most recent opening occasions and costs.
In case you have extra time within the space, take a look at my information to issues to do in Poole and Bournemouth.
The place to eat in Bournemouth
There are avenue meals stalls on the seafront finish of Decrease Gardens, in the midst of the park and on the market on the prime. A sizzling spot for seeing and being seen is the Alpine Bar.
If you wish to sit down for meals then the Promenade Cafe serves all kinds of snacks and meals together with a festive menu. That is the place we stopped for lunch and located there was one thing for everybody.
The women tucked right into a sizzling canine, sausage roll and chips, whereas Mr Tin Field had the haloumi burger and I devoured a scrumptious Penang curry and rice.
The cafe is admittedly in style, so get there early if you wish to bag a window seat with a sea view.
Should you select to move outdoors Bournemouth city centre for lunch or dinner we will additionally suggest City Reef at Boscombe. We ate dinner there after seeing the Christmas timber.
I beloved consuming right here a few years in the past with mates and had excessive hopes that the meals was nonetheless simply pretty much as good. We weren’t disillusioned.
There’s a large alternative of meals on the primary menu in addition to specials and a kids’s menu. I had mussels with essentially the most unbelievable charcoal focaccia, and Mr Tin Field had brisket with a root vegetable casserole, mash and dumplings. The women each opted for a scrummy trying pasta and meatballs.
After all, we couldn’t resist dessert. The pumpkin pie, cheese cake and chocolate brownies that adopted had been divine.
That is someplace to go for a particular meal with a sea view throughout the day and a comfy, intimate environment at night time.
The place to remain
If, like us, you’re coming from additional afield for the Christmas Tree Wonderland in Bournemouth we will suggest staying at Bournemouth Seashore Lodges.
These bijou lodges come fashionable seashore huts accommodate as much as six individuals proper on the seashore at Boscombe. We stayed for 2 nights and beloved the expertise of listening to the waves and having the golden sands inside touching distance.
Right here’s our Bournemouth Seashore Lodges overview.
Searching for extra issues to do close to Bournemouth? Check out my information to issues to do in Dorset with youngsters.
Disclosure: we had been invited to expertise the Christmas Tree Wonderland in Bournemouth as a part of an unpaid press journey. Our lodging, experiences and bills had been lined. All opinions are my very own and my household’s.
