The festive lights at Nutley Farm get bigger and better each year and we saw for ourselves why families love it so much.

Near the start of our trail we found a barn serving food and next door was an area where you can buy hot drinks and marshmallows for toasting.

Just before you start the light trail you’ll see a barn with 4 absolutely adorable reindeer named Rudolph, Prancer, Sprout and Parsnip.  They are all super friendly and I wished I could just sit in there having cuddles all night long.  When we first popped in they were all up and enjoying their strokes but when we went back later they were clearly tired and one did THE cutest yawn I’ve ever seen!  We had to pop in one last time before going home and they were up again so we bought some reindeer food (£1.50 per pot) which my daughter fed them.  Apparently reindeer like lichen and their food is flown all the way over from Finland for them to enjoy.  I warn you though, Lichen makes one of them fart bad haha. (Still cute though).

The theme for this year is ‘Follow the Lost Reindeer’ and children can discover 20 hidden reindeer characters along the trail.

Despite the recent bad weather we’ve had, it was great to see that pathways were put down so you don’t need to worry about getting muddy.  The illuminated light trail is fantastic and we really enjoyed our walk.  We found sparkling arches, giant lit up reindeer, huge candy canes, a sleigh track where you pressed a button to start the lights and sounds, photo props, a Northern Lights projection and my favourite which was the Gingerbread House projection where you could see Father Christmas in a top window.

We spent quite some time on the trail and then when we got back we got the kids a marshmallow which they could toast themselves on the fire.  My daughter has had a few toasted marshmallows in the past but has only just learnt that with the big ones she can toast and eat again and again.  It took them quite some time to devour the whole thing.

Good to know:

• Food served in the barn includes Aberdeen Angus beef burgers, pork and apple burgers, hot dogs, nachos, kids meals, vegetarian and gluten free food plus savoury and sweet crepes.  All food is made from the freshest of ingredients and meat is from locally sourced farms.

• New for this year is a family picture area in the barn with the Nutley Farm sleigh and life-size Reindeer.  Families can purchase photographs as a 6 x 4 print, snow globe, snow block or bauble.

• On Wednesday 4th December there will be a special SEN-Friendly Christmas Lights and Reindeer Experience, tailored to provide a magical and comfortable visit for children and young people with SEN and Autism in Dorset.

• The Nutley Farm Lights and Reindeer experience will be running on selected dates from Friday 29th November to Monday 30th December 2024.

• Live music will be playing in the barn on selected evenings at 8pm.  Anyone with tickets to the 7pm or 7.30pm experience are welcome to stay.

• Nutley Farm offer tickets for see Father Christmas in his Grotto however due to popularity, 2024 tickets are now sold out.

• Nutley Farm support the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.  To date, they have raised almost £40,000 which is incredible and it’s great to know that by visiting you will be contributing to such a worthwhile cause.

For more information and tickets, please visit Nutley Farm.

I love forest walks with the family and recently we combined a trip to Highcliffe Castle with a stroll through Steamer Point Nature Reserve.

If you park at Highcliffe Castle and walk to towards the cliff, head right and you’ll soon see a big sign welcoming you to the start of the nature reserve.

The kids had a great time climbing on fallen trees and stumps, mushroom and wildlife spotting and kicking up the autumn leaves.  The views are incredible and we even found a few sculptures, my favourite being a dragonfly which is located by a small lake.

There are numerous paths to explore through the woodland but we kept the sea in sight and found a wonderful little visitor centre en route.  The centre is unmanned and inside you’ll find information on the local countryside, animal bones and skulls plus a beautifully painted mural with doors which my daughter spent ages playing with.

We walked all the way to Friars cliff which actually isn’t that far but we stopped plenty and it took us maybe about 45 minutes.  From here we walked down onto the beach and back along to the steep steps which led us up to the car park at Highcliffe Castle.  We had such a great afternoon and if our car park ticket wasn’t due to end we would of happily kept walking to Mudeford.  This will be a walk we’ll look forward to doing next year in the sunshine.

Local history:

Steamer Point Nature Reserve takes its name from the steamer boat that was pulled up into a gap in the cliff and wedged between two holly trees in 1830, arranged and paid for by Lord Stuart de Rothesay.  The steamer boat was subsequently used and inhabited as a sea lodge for many years before falling into disrepair around the start of the 20th century.

During the war, Steamer Point was used by the Signals Research and Development Establishment as the site of a military radar research station, helping to develop radar cover for our south coast.  The building known as 'Site 16' was used as an anti-aircraft gun emplacement with a Lewis machine gun. 

Good to know:

• We spotted a nice picnic area with tables whilst walking through the nature reserve and here you’ll be spoilt with views looking out to the Isle of Wight.

• If you need toilets then there’s some located at the start of the nature reserve and also at Friars Cliff.

• Car parking prices are reduced during the winter period and increase again in spring.

• If you need lunch or a sweet treat then we can highly recommend The Castle Pantry which is located at Highcliffe Castle.  If you would like to read a review from our visit in the summer then please visit the Dorsetmums Blog.