I was so impressed with the staff. There was a huge age range in the children in our slot, from 4 to 11, and the elves were fabulous with everyone. I really enjoyed this part of the evening. We were led to an elf workshop where the children could all make a Santa Stop Here sign. This was a really simple idea, but incredibly effective and the finished signs look great. Again, this was an activity suitable for all ages, and the whole group got a lot out of it.
Next was an area with pens and postcards where the children were required to write a letter to Father Christmas to let him know what they would like for Christmas. I love the effort that all the children went to in writing their wishes down. We were then shown into a shed with Santa inside. It was warm and cosy and beautifully decorated. Santa spent a good deal of time talking to both children about what they wanted and how they both were. I really enjoyed this, it was friendly and really inclusive. Santa and the elf made sure we got some lovely pictures too, which are a really nice keepsake!
As ever. the winter wonderland walk to see Father Christmas is totally magical! The lights, trees and snow are really stunning. I think the addition of a snow machine (lots of bubbles) outside was great too and all the children were really enjoying their time in it too.
The only negative aspect to the experience was when it came to the ice-skating (which I paid for myself). I was on crutches as I had not long had a hip operation. I was informed on the phone that a member of staff would be able to assist my daughter (8), but my son would be able to skate by himself. On the evening, I was told I would have to go on the ice with the daughter and on staff could assist her. She is a perfectly competent skater, but it was dangerous for me to be on the ice so soon after an operation.
I didn't want to disappoint my children, so we ended up in a slightly ridiculous situation where I had to wear skates and literally hold on to the side for 45 minutes whilst my children skated. I couldn't have helped them because I couldn't move in case I damaged my hip. I was no use whatsoever, but was told it was health and safety that meant I had to be on the ice. As such, if you have any kind of disability and your children are under 10 years old, I would steer clear of the ice rink as they will just be disappointed. The rink itself was not busy at all, there were only two other families. The ice was really nice and not cut up at all. Both children absolutely loved the ice-skating and I enjoyed watching them skate round.
The elf village is wonderful and there are different activities in each of the sheds. They do have heaters in them, so you don't need to worry about being too cold! We joined in with the activities last year and they were great fun. There are blankets to snuggle under and a kiosk selling hot drinks. This year I was just too cold from standing on the ice, so the children thankfully both agreed to go to the main house to have a look around.
We made it into Lotherton Hall for the first ever time and it is simply stunning. The decorations are amazing. We didn't have long to look around as it was closing, but there were areas to dress up in, plenty for children to do and ipads with interactive displays. It was also the perfect place to warm up our feet as it really was a bitterly cold night!
We really enjoyed Lotherton, it was a wonderful night and so much fun to see the children both enjoying themselves. The children met the estate cat called Les who was one of the friendliest cats they have ever met! He sat on both of them and made them so happy! The Santa experience was wonderful, the elves were great fun and really interacted with the children. We were there four hours and still didn't manage to fit in the 12 Days of Christmas walk, although we did find the end of it and the Fairy Dell when we got lost on the way back to the car park! For more information, or to book The Christmas Experience, check out Lotherton's website.
Disclosure: We were provided with a ticket to Lotherton and to meet Father Christmas. I paid for everything else.
