Solstice Adventures at Kedleston and Calke

The shortest day of the year proved to be a bright sunny one - luckily because we were taking our grandson out for the day.

First we headed back to Kedleston Hall to see if a four year old found the Advent Trail as much fun as we did. He did - running in front of us to find the next door, opening the latches, playing with the glove puppets, trying to work the music boxes, counting stars etc. 

It's great fun for children, especially on a fine sunny day, and we could have spent longer exploring the grounds and park but we needed lunch before our second adventure.

The second of our adventures took us to Calke to see the festive light trail. I loved it. It's not as huge as, say, Chatsworth display, but there are more lights than in previous years, and all included in the general admission cost.

Paths strung with lights lead to the house, with stars illuminating one side, and colour-changing lights another.

From the house, a trail of small illuminated trees lead to the church and gardens, where there are 'fireplaces' of light, a Christmas tree, and an illuminated tunnel. Although it wasn't cold, by this point my phone decided it had had enough, so I couldn't get more photos, and having to hurry to keep pace with a four-year old didn't give me time to properly focus for them anyway. 

Of the two trips, the advent trail worked better with an enthusiastic small child. In daytime, with limited possibilities for mischief, he could run in front of us and find the doors himself; in the dark he had to stay close, and walk at our pace for risk of losing him, which I think he found frustrating. Something to remember for future excursions.