Buckinghamshire Christmas days out National Trust parenting

A fairytale Christmas at Hughenden Manor

I’ve mentioned Hughenden Manor a few times on my blog. It’s a local National Trust property and a great family day out. We’ve recently re-joined the National Trust as we realised how much we missed being members so I am looking forward to lots more great days out in 2017!

We visited Hughenden in October to go pumpkin carving. You can read all about our Halloween experience here. As we were leaving one of the volunteers mentioned we should book early for Christmas and I did. I read a little more about it on their website and knew it sounded like a magical Christmas experience.

There’s fairytale festivity throughout the estate at Hughenden this Christmas as the fantastical folk tales of the Brothers Grimm are explored.

As we walked through the woods to the house we followed the Hansel and Gretel trail in the grounds. There were lots of white stones shining through the woods and the children loved following them.

A fairytale Christmas at Hughenden Manor

We had booked to go and meet Father Christmas in his Hansel & Gretel inspired grotto. The last event we went to was really well organised and this was too. There was a huge waiting area and the children were able to make paper gingerbread people, craft pipe cleaner candy canes and colour in magical pictures of Hughenden. This kept them busy, and all the other children, and it was lovely to sit and relax without having to worry about anything.

A fairytale Christmas at Hughenden Manor

Then it was our turn to visit Father Christmas. This was a lovely looking Father Christmas and the children were quite happy to talk to him, unlike our experience at the Playmobil Santa’s Grotto we visited last month.

A fairytale Christmas at Hughenden Manor

After our visit to Father Christmas we decided to explore the house. Although it feels like we know it quite well I knew it had been decorated for Christmas and would have a totally different feel.

The theme for the decorations was the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Each room was decorated to reflect a different story, complete with Christmas trees, decorations and lots of gingerbread men. See Rapunzel’s golden locks tumbling from the top of the stairs, wonder at Rumpelstiltskin’s spinning wheel transforming hay into gold, see if you can find a wolfish imposter in granny’s bed, or ask the wicked stepmother’s mirror who is the fairest of them all!

A fairytale Christmas at Hughenden Manor

The displays were amazing and I actually had time to enjoy them as the children were kept busy hunting for the gingerbread men and women who were hiding in the Manor.

We had a great morning and I would definitely recommend a visit whilst it is decorated for Christmas. A fairytale Christmas at Hughenden Manor is on from Thursday 1st December until Wednesday 4th January. Find out more here.

11 Comments

  • Reply
    Linda Hobbis
    December 17, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    What a great looking Santa – I swear that’s the real one. Glad your kids had fun.

  • Reply
    Tracey
    December 21, 2016 at 11:35 am

    What a magical day out for kids and it sounds super organised. That Father Christmas! So authentic: is it HIM? 😉 Tx

  • Reply
    Sarah | Lavender Life
    December 21, 2016 at 12:46 pm

    This indeed looks like a great family outing 🙂 And that Santa looks so real haha!

  • Reply
    6 things to do with kids on Boxing Day - the-gingerbread-house.co.uk
    December 28, 2016 at 10:00 pm

    […] This year we visited the Playmobil Santa’s Grotto at our local shopping centre, visited a National Trust house which had been transformed for Christmas, as well as taking a ride on our local Santa Express. We […]

  • Reply
    Monday Happy List - 2017 life goals - the-gingerbread-house.co.uk
    January 16, 2017 at 11:32 am

    […] renewed our National Trust membership so I want to re-visit our favourite local properties, such as Hughenden and Cliveden, as well as try and visit 5 new National Trust […]

  • Reply
    100 Amazing National Trust Days Out With Children - Mini Travellers
    March 7, 2017 at 9:47 am

    […] Hughenden has lots to offer families looking for a great day out in nature. There are trees to climb and hills to roll down and seeds to help plant in the gardens. Events are run throughout the year, especially during the school holidays. Jenny, from The Gingerbread House, visited at Halloween, she says: “you can visit part of the house, gardens, and extensive grounds. They also run some really fun events for families. Last year we went along to one of their Apple Days, this time we wanted to go pumpkin carving! read more […]

  • Reply
    6 National Trust Days Out With Children in Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire - Mini Travellers
    May 4, 2017 at 6:01 am

    […] Hughenden has lots to offer families looking for a great day out in nature. There are trees to climb and hills to roll down and seeds to help plant in the gardens. Events are run throughout the year, especially during the school holidays. Jenny, from The Gingerbread House, visited at Halloween, she says: “you can visit part of the house, gardens, and extensive grounds. They also run some really fun events for families. Last year we went along to one of their Apple Days, this time we wanted to go pumpkin carving! read more […]

  • Reply
    Making tracks with a Family and Friends Railcard - the-gingerbread-house.co.uk
    October 16, 2017 at 2:09 pm

    […] to head over to High Wycombe for the day. We’ve passed through many times on our way to Hughenden Manor or Odds Park Farm but decided it was time to stop off and see what it had to […]

  • Reply
    6 National Trust Days Out in Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire - Mini Travellers
    July 4, 2018 at 6:15 am

    […] Find out more about Jenny’s seasonal day out at Hughenden […]

  • Reply
    Where to see Santa at your local National Trust - Mini Travellers - Family Travel & Family Holiday Tips
    November 7, 2018 at 10:15 am

    […] can also take a read of this lovely review of A Fairytale Christmas at Hughenden by The Gingerbread House who had a great morning and would definitely recommend a visit whilst it […]

  • Reply
    Celebrating Christmas at Hughenden - the-gingerbread-house.co.uk
    December 14, 2019 at 11:16 pm

    […] dull but we love it as the staff and volunteers make sure they pull all the stops out. Having visited Father Christmas there a few years ago, we knew we wanted to visit again, and were pleased to see there were lots of […]

  • Leave a Reply