Westonbirt Arboretum is rapidly becoming one of my favourite places for a family outing. I love walking in a wood and with the diverse range of tree in their collection there is plenty to appreciate throughout the year.
Around Xmas time every year they rope off a section of the Old Arboretum to make a one mile long illuminated trail — The Enchanted Wood.
The trees are lit up with different coloured spotlights, some of which are even set-up to switch on and off automatically in a fixed pattern. The effects are amazing it’s a really magical evening out. This year is the third time we’ve been, which means it’s rapidly becoming a Dodds Family tradition.
This year was the first that Ethan was really old enough to fully appreciate it. Tightly bundled up in many layers of clothing he enjoyed a happy hour or so wandering around the trail with us, patiently waiting whilst Daddy played with the many settings on his new camera trying to take some decent photos.
This year the illuminated trail was also combined with a sculptural art exhibition, The Exhibition of Light, celebrating the use of light within art.
It was a fantastic evening out and really put us all in the Christmas mood, although Ethan has been getting steadily more excited without much encouragement from us.
The results of my amateur photography were pretty mixed, but I had fun which was the main thing. These are the photos I was most pleased with.
During the summer the Arboretum also held a garden festival which featured some fantastic concept garden designs. I’ll upload those photos soon.
Lost Boy 
Hurrah! Thanks for the pics! I love Westonbirt Arboretum, although it’s been years since I was last there it’s always maintained a solid place in my (very select) list of “places to take people”.
I work for the company who designs and implements the enchanted wood. I would like to thank you on behalf of everyone here for your kind comments