Looking for a UK Lapland?
Where is Lapland UK? It’s near Ascot and Windsor, to the West of London, and a long way from Yorkshire, but I had heard such amazing things about it that when we were given the chance to go, of course I couldn’t say no!
Enchanted Forest
The whole Christmas experience is set in an enchanted forest, and as soon as you step foot in the winding snowy paths you really feel like you have been transported into a magical land, like Hogwarts or Narnia.
Lapland UK Elves
The first part of the experience is very theatrical, the children are entertained by the Lapland UK elves who tell them more about their Christmas story and prepare them for what is to come. The set is beautiful, and the elves are fantastic players. There is something very Midsummer Night’s Dream to it.
Team Husky
From there you are introduced to your ‘herder’, who will look after you on your journey. We were part of Team Husky and you stay with the same group throughout.
A Winter Wonderland
When the magical portal opens you are plunged into a snowy winter wonderland and taken to help make toys in the toy factory. Here it is explained to the children that Father Christmas is very busy and needs their help making the toys. Trays are brought out with polar bear soft toys that the children stuff and add a heart to. You can choose to buy the polar bear that your child makes. Onwards from there you go to Mother Christmas’ kitchen. She tells the children a story and then they are invited to decorate Christmas cookies (which you bag up to take home – if they make it that far. Ours ate theirs in the Christmas Village!).
Check out this post for more Lapland UK tips.
Ice Skating Rink
While I am thinking about the Christmas Village, this is where you will find the ice rink. Simply call in and collect your ice skating boots, then away you go. They also have penguins for the really little skaters.
Christmas Village
Around the ice rink you will find shops and places to eat. We shared two jumbo hot dogs between the four of us here. One thing I will mention is that there seemed to be a lack of sitting places in the village. There is a great deal of standing for the adults during the experience and I dearly wanted a sit down! We found some benches under cover outside the shops, but I think a nice picnic area to sit and eat your food would be great (and very welcome to my poor feet!).
Visiting Father Christmas at the UK Lapland
Our time in the Christmas Village went by very fast and before we knew it, it was time to meet the big man himself, Father Christmas! Now, here I think the UK Lapland excelled themselves. We have visited Father Christmas at many locations but never have I been so impressed before. He was lovely! He knew so much about our children, they sat open mouthed with awe for much of the visit! He really took his time chatting to them and we didn’t feel rushed. The children were very impressed with the presents he gave them, lovely plush husky dogs.
A helpful elf took some photos while we were in there. We were able to take one home free of charge and buy more if we wanted.
Lapland UK Prices
All in all, we had a lovely day at Lapland UK. One question I have been asked and also looked for in Lapland UK Reviews myself, is ‘How much is Lapland UK?’ Lapland UK ticket Prices start at £75 per person. I am then usually asked whether it is worth it. I think this is best left up to the individual, and depends very much on your own personal budget. It’s extremely well done and you can see the difference in quality between Lapland London and other Christmas experiences. Prices do tend to be higher in London (as are wages) than Yorkshire, so perhaps it feels more expensive to me than it would to someone from the area (and it does feel expensive). Also we had the added expense of a hotel as it’s such a long drive. If you are planning to visit from a distance, perhaps consider making a weekend of it and visiting Legoland or The Making of Harry Potter at the same time. Another way of looking at it, is that the price is comparable to a ticket for a London show at £75 each and Lapland UK is both a longer experience and so much more magical.
Have a look here for more Christmas events in Yorkshire or Christmas events in the rest of the UK.
Lapland UK invited us to visit and review, but as always, all the opinions expressed are my own.
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Or why not visit Lapland itself in Finland?