Review of 'Christmas at Bolesworth 2023'
https://bolesworth.com/christmas/
Having enjoyed last year's Christmas at Bolesworth event at Bolesworth Castle, despite the cold wind during our visit, we decided to visit again this year which introduced a skating rink. We purchased our tickets well in advance and added an ice skating ticket (£11.96/adult including skate rental) onto our general admission ticket (£24.75/adult). Parking was an additional £4.92 which is a bit much considering there is no other way to really visit the site…in general, we found the prices quite expensive.
After parking the car in the huge car park (situated in a nearby field) there is a walk to the main entrance where our tickets were scanned. Entering the site along a beautifully lit path passing by some tractors that had participated in a charity event, you enter the main fairground area where there are lots of rides, a few places to eat (including the meat from local farms), open fires to roast marshmallows and, this year, the skating rink. To the right at the top of a small hill is an enclosed area with a large bar where you can get warm and father Christmas (separately ticketed).
On the far side of the fairground area is the beginning of the light trail, that you can visit at any point, which takes you in front of the castle then around a lake through the woods with many sections set to music including the big light show that is projected onto the castle itself. At the far end of the lake on the path is “Rudolph's Rest”, a separate dining and drinking area that also features a few reindeer (which you cannot pat).
The skating was not great with sessions limited to about 30 minutes on the tiny, crowded, soft ice rink. If you actually know how to skate you would be quite frustrated and most visitors do not and tend to get in your way a lot.
For what it is, we found Bolesworth at Christmas quite expensive with everything costing extra (skating, Father Christmas, food, etc) which makes it a very pricey evening. The light displays were quite good though and it is a bit of fun.
Note that there are firework displays on specific dates, see the official web site for details.
Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”
Review Date: 2023-12-16
Bolesworth Castle
Location: Cheshire (England)
Address: Old Coach Rd, Tattenhall, Cheste, Cheshire CH3 9JJ ENGLAND
Telephone: +44 (0) 1829 782210
This country house is close to Tattenhall, 8 miles south-east of Chester (yes, pretty much in the middle of no-where). The grounds host events throughout the year including “Christmas at Bolesworth” and Bolesworth International show jumping.