Luminate Sandringham: This is what we thought of 'spectacular' light trail on King Charles' Royal estate

A spectacular mile-long outdoor light trail has returned to the Royal Sandringham estate for the third year running.

Luminate Sandringham is back at the King's Royal Parkland, with an after-dark winter light show the main event, along with the Henry Chipperfield 1906 Vintage Fairground and not forgetting some festive food and drink.

The Lynn News team were invited to take a stroll around the woodlands as they were brought to life on Thursday, ahead of the trail being opened to members of the public from today.

This is what we thought of it...

As we arrived at the royal estate, we were immediately greeted by so many bright lights and fairground rides that it could be easy to forget that you're just metres from where the late Queen and the Royal Family would gather at Christmas.

Nevertheless, it was beautiful and our group were excited to experience Luminate for the first time.

After checking in with the staff, we made our way past the first interactive animal of the evening and enjoyed seeing some trees lit up in an array of colours.

Along the way, there were light tunnels that reminded us of the Netflix show Stranger Things, immersive games for families to take on, a section that felt like we were at an outside disco, and so much more.

Our highlights included a "magical" fairyland and a 90 metre-long 'Ice Storm' that made us feel like we were in an epic film.

Some parts of the trail, such as the 'Ice Storm' became even more immersive due to the music played - so much so that we were still humming those tunes the next day.

If we had not had (our own) time constraints, we would have considered checking out the mulled wine and marshmallows that you can toast on fire pits from food and drink vendors that looked very appealing at a midway point.

We all concluded that it had been a "magical" experience that was entertaining and varied, which would be particularly enjoyable for those with children - and also anyone wanting to get a beautiful picture for Instagram (or just for the memories).

Luminate Sandringham is on the royal estate, with classic rides including the helter skelter, a vintage carousel, chair'o'planes, and the chance to view the illuminations from above on the Ferris wheel, until December 18.

Entry to the Winter Light Trail is via advanced timed entry tickets, with slots available every 15 minutes from 4.15pm – 8.30pm.

Tickets are now on sale at www.luminatesandringham.com