We visited Whinfell Forest back in May this year and had a lovely Springtime break with amazing weather. We always try and sneak a few days away in November and decided to return for the Winter Wonderland, opting to get into the Christmas Spirit a few weeks early! Here’s what we thought of Whinfell Forest’s Winter Wonderland.
I won’t write a full review as we stuck with the same accommodation we had last time and did a thorough review back then. I’ll focus instead purely on the Winter Wonderland activities and theming.
What’s the difference?
In terms of the difference between a spring and a late Autumn break the main difference is the shorter days and the weather, of course. But at Center Parcs, the whole place (from early November) is very much alive and kicking with the Christmassy vibe.
Festive Activities
Loads of the activities have been given a more Christmassy theme. Our tot did:
- Fun Pots with Tots (again!)
- Mini Trek (again!)
- Elf Hunt
- Christmas Cupcakes with Tots
- Crazy Science
- Baby Owls
You can read more about the activities our did last time around here.
Whinfell’s Winter Wonderland Forest
For us, the main attraction was Santa’s Woodland Village, which featured the Santa’s Grotto, a little shop, plenty of fake snow, a stall to buy mulled wine and cider from and lots of little elf houses to explore. Oh and the real reindeer, which were a hit with our two year old.
Throughout the village centre and surrounding areas, light up wooden reindeer and fairy houses can be spotted dotted through the forest beside the paths and it makes for a genuinely magical feeling. We visited in November and despite being almost 6 weeks from Christmas, we were all left feeling thoroughly festive.
Here are a few of our photos:
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Fireworks
During the Winter Wonderland, there’s a big firework display by the lake at Whinfell Forest every Wednesday and Sunday. This is followed by Santa going around the lake in a boat, which went down a treat with my eldest.
I’m not sure whether the days are the same at other Center Parcs parks.
Would we go back?
In a heartbeat 🙂 Center Parcs Whinfell Forest Winter Wonderland was a hit with all 6 of us who went. The pool is amazing, the usual array of activities and those with a festive spin are fab and the forest and village are absolutely magical with the Christmas decorations.
I’m hoping to head to Lapland next year (as we want to squeeze that in before our eldest goes to school). But I’m sure we’ll be back to Center Parcs for a Christmassy Winter Wonderland Village again at some point.
