Festive trails, trains and Santa!
16th November 2025
Norfolk Lights Express © D Ballard
From enchanting light trails and illuminated trains to breakfast with Santa, there’s much to enjoy in North Norfolk this season
Santa’s activity workshop
Sign up for one of Father Christmas’s hour-long activity workshops at Bakers & Larners in Holt on 6, 13 and 20 December, where you’ll enjoy a cracking array of festive crafts including gingerbread decorating, colouring activities and more. Plus, you’ll meet the man himself! Booking required.
Breakfast with Father Christmas
Take your little ones to breakfast with Father Christmas at Holt Garden Centre on 6, 13, 20 and 22 December. Children can choose from a bacon/sausage sandwich or pancakes, with hot chocolate or fruit juice. Adults will love the festive set lunch menu at The Garden Terrace Café (Wednesdays and Sundays from 19 November) or the Afternoon Tea of sandwiches, sweet treats, scones, tea or coffee (Monday to Friday). Booking required.
A magical train journey
North Norfolk Railway’s Santa Specials (weekends from 22 November to 14 December and daily from 20 to 23 December) promise a spellbinding journey for children aboard a traditional steam-hauled train from Sheringham to Holt with onboard balloon modellers, magicians and refreshments, stopping at Weybourne on the way back to meet Father Christmas and receive a special gift. Booking required.
FAIRHAVEN CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TRAIL
The Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden shimmers with a Christmas Lights Trail (Fridays and Saturdays, from 29 November to 20 December). As you follow a path through the woods, spy illuminated families of deer and enjoy hot chocolates and roasted marshmallows after your stroll.
The Christmas Crown Trail
Inspired by the re-opening of Norwich Castle Keep and Henry I celebrating Christmas 1121 at Norwich Castle, this free festive treasure hunt across Norwich launches on 20 November and runs until 5 January 2026. The trails will guide visitors across the city centre, locating festive displays, searching out crowns and clues within creative shop window designs, to reveal a hidden message. A printed map showing the trail locations will be distributed across the city centre, as well as being here
Thursford’s Enchanted Journey of Light
Well, this is just magical. Wander round Fantasyland and see animatronic penguins, dancing bugs, polar bears, giant teddys and Santa’s helpers hard at work, before heading outside to the Enchanted Journey of Light (3 to 24 December), a field of glowing statues, which this year has been given a joosh with new Christmas characters, bringing the number of illuminations to over 1000. As you wander through an underwater kingdom, across the plains of Africa and into a magical land of sweets, it certainly feels bigger and brighter than before. Customers who purchase tickets to the Journey of Light and Santa’s Magical Journey can also access the new adventure playground (for an additional fee) which reimagines the magic of a vintage funfair.
Blickling’s Garden of Lights
When dusk falls, the gardens of Blicking Estate transform into a wintry wonderland as The Garden of Lights illuminates the landscape with displays of colour and sound from 6 to 21 December. There’s a Garden of Lights Paws evening on 9 December where four-legged friends can come along and a relaxed evening on 10 December with reduced capacity for those who would like a quieter atmosphere.
Norfolk Lights Express
The Poppy Line welcomes the Norfolk Lights Express, which runs from 14 November to 3 January, select dates. This year’s theme is ‘A Golden Journey’ to mark the railway’s 50th anniversary since the line was reopened by volunteers in 1975. The experience, which lasts around one hour and 45 minutes, takes passengers from Sheringham to Holt and back in a train decked out in coloured lights, passing lineside installations as you go, all brought to life with a new soundtrack and narration.
BURE VALLEY RAILWAY
Norfolk’s longest narrow-gauge railway celebrates Christmas with a Festive Express experience from Aylsham station, which includes a 30-minute steam train ride, refreshments and a visit to Santa’s grotto. Trains run weekends from 5 December and daily from 20 to 24 December. Adults can jump aboard the Noel Night Train on 5, 11, 12 and 18 December at Aylsham station, where the brass band will be playing, for a one-hour journey by steam. Booking is essential.
For times and prices, please check specific websites or social media
