Yorkshire Wildlife Park's winter illuminations(Image: Sam Cooper /Nottinghamshire Live)

I went to Yorkshire Wildlife Park's winter illuminations and it's a must visit for any parent this Christmas

by · NottinghamshireLive

I always used to think I lived a busy life. Arranging a meet up or trip out has, for many years, involved checking the diary and struggling to find a date.

Then in April this year we welcomed our first child and with it came a whole new series of additions to the calendar. While she's only seven months old, juggling her busy social diary is a non-enviable task.

Any families who can live without a weekly planner or calendar on the fridge or kitchen wall at this time of year have my full admiration. Weekends quickly fill up and, particular over the last few weeks, the few hours of an evening before bed time have all been taken up.

I don't say any of this as a negative. I actually doesn't like to just sit in front of the TV, I love being out and about. One thing on our calendar recently was to visit the winter illuminations trail at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster.

It was clear when we arrived it was the same for many other parents of young children. The wildlife park is transformed into a trail of light displays.

Our daughter loved all the twinkly lights, including this tunnel(Image: Sam Cooper/Nottinghamshire Live)

Some of those displays are, of course, festive with everything from Santa to reindeer and presents. But what I didn't realise was the sheer amount of light displays and how long the trail was.

Just like any seven-month-old met with flashing lights and different colours, our daughter was mesmerised by the displays. But they weren't just lights, they were creative and the layout had been well thought out.

One section took you through different countries including the UK, India and Africa. There was also a genuinely amazing dinosaur trail which included moving dinos.

Some of the illuminations are, of course, festive given the time of year(Image: Sam Cooper/Nottinghamshire Live)

A Christmas production was also projected onto a spray of water above one of the lakes. We probably spent around two hours at the park and that could easily have been much longer.

A quick mulled wine stop halfway round the trail helped to keep the cold at bay and added to the festive feel. So no matter how busy that calendar or planner is as we approach the Christmas holidays, I would strongly recommend you find or make a slot for a visit one evening.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park's Winter Illuminations run every day until Friday, January 3, excluding Christmas Day. Tickets are priced from £26 for adults and £21 for children aged three to 15. Under 3s are free of charge.