It’s a cushy number, being an aunt: all the rewards of children in your life,
but none of the broken sleep/school fees/ toast-in-the-DVD-player stress.
But you do need to come up with the goods, treats-wise. Which is why I’m with
my sister Roz’s children, about to meet Santa in his brand-new home. In
Kent.
They’re old hands at this, the children, having met him personally in Lapland
last year. And they’re not exactly unique: this December, an estimated
80,000 Brits will make a flying visit to Lapland, a figure that – according
to the Finnish tourist board – is growing by 27% each year, despite costing
upwards of £2,500 for a family of four (not to mention the tons of carbon
emissions it generates).
But this weekend sees the opening of a Christmas attraction that hopes to
provide a cheaper, greener alternative closer to home.
Lapland UK is a winter wonderland created in the 320-acre Bedgebury National
Pinetum, Kent, with the endorsement of the Forestry Commission. The
brainchild of former City trader and father of four Mike Battle and his
schoolteacher wife, Alison, it aims to satisfy our desire for an idyllic
family Christmas experience while addressing our growing concerns about the
environment.
The seven-figure temporary attraction (it will be dismantled on January 1,
theoretically leaving only pristine, undamaged forest) has clearly struck a
chord: most of the 35,000 tickets sold out within days of going on the
market (see below for details of how you can still get some). But can our
good intentions to have a green Christmas ever win against our desire for
the perfect white one?
Lapland UK is hidden deep in the forest, a brisk 10-minute walk from the car
park. So when Roz, my brother-in-law Mark, the kids – Isaac, 9, Tabitha, 7,
and Michael, 4 – and I round the corner and catch our first glimpse of the
huge dome, the children shriek excitedly and run the rest of the way.
“The dome actually transports you to Lapland,” Mike says. And it does, while a
huge projection of Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman plays on a big screen. As we
step from the transporter, the scene that greets us is extraordinary. Snow
falls gently on a picturesque village square, bustling with colourfully
outfitted Sami and elves resplendent in red-felt caps and curly-toed green
boots. At the square’s centre, a huge Christmas tree twinkles with white
stars, overlooked by cosy log cabins with icicles hanging from their eaves.
The snow is deep and crisp and even (and eco – it’s made out of seaweed).
Blanketed paths disappear into the forest; pine trees droop under the weight
of it, their silhouettes like giant carwash rollers in the chilly blue
light.
The effect is startling: Michael is rooted to the spot in astonishment. Mike
is clearly delighted: “Kids believe in Santa for such a short time,” he
says. “You want to make it really special for them.”
First stop is the elves’ workshop. “The children loved this in Lapland,” Roz
recalls. “It was a huge theatrical production, with singing and dancing
elves.”
“We had to wear special hats so our ears would grow pointy,” says Tabs, with
wide-eyed solemnity.
The Lapland UK elves’ workshop is a more modest affair: a big train set;
rocking-horse production; woodworking tools and a Toy “to do” list on the
wall. The children help an elf assemble chunky wooden jigsaws – which they
are delighted to discover they can keep.
Back in the square, the snow (the same stuff starred in the Harry Potter
films) is still falling as we follow a forest path to the huskies. “Are we
going on a husky ride?” Isaac asks excitedly. “We don’t have rides,” Mike
explains. “Eighty per cent of visitors will be under eight, so we want to
make the experience gentle.”
As the kids dash ahead, Roz notes how Lapland compares: “There, you have
indoor and outdoor activities: snowmobiling, husky rides ... It makes it
both Christmassy and a winter holiday.”
They cost extra, though. “It just about doubled the cost of the holiday,” Roz
admits. “But experiences like crossing the Arctic Circle – you think, ‘We’re
probably never going to come back, so...”
Meanwhile, the children have forgotten the rides and are besotted with the
huskies. The dogs are both beautiful and good-natured: Michael shrieks with
delight as a little husky nuzzles him.
By now, it’s dusk, and it’s raining steadily as we stick our heads into the
Sami storytelling tepee before pressing on to the warmth of Father
Christmas’s Post Office. Roz’s umbrella catches on a branch, showering us
with snow.
It’s so convincing, it’s like we’re in Narnia: I half expect to see Mr Tumnus
any minute. “It’s actually like we’re in Lapland,” Mark says, “but not as
cold.
It was too cold for the children – they were crying by the end of the reindeer
ride. And it was so dark that the only thing you could really see was the
reindeer’s bum.”
The children queue excitedly to get cards franked by an avuncular elf at the
Post Office. And they adore Mrs Christmas’s Gingerbread Kitchen.
(“Gingerbread is the big thing at Lapland,” my sister says knowingly.)
It strikes me that Mike has the right approach. “People were pushing me down
an ultra-commercial route,” he tells me. “Fat Santas, fussy rides... But I
wanted to keep it simple: that’s far more charming.” Certainly, the Father
Christmas the children finally reel their skateboard and Scooby-Doo lists
off to is more Hans Christian Andersen than Hollywood.
None of this means that Kent’s new Lapland will replace the real one – but it
does at least provide a viable alternative.
NEED TO KNOW
Lapland UK is at Bedgebury National Pinetum, in Goudhurst, Kent, until
December 31. Timed tickets last for 3½ hours and start at £17.50 for adults
and £27.50 for children. Demand for tickets is high, with several dates
already sold out. However, new tickets will be released throughout December.
For the best chance to get one, register at www.laplanduk.co.uk
What an amazing idea, i went this week and had an amazing magical time. the children's faces when they saw the snow was enough for me, everyone there seemed to be in the christmas spirit. i just hope it happens again next year as i think it was a great day out and hope to be able to do it again.
Natalie, kent,
£3.50 for a hot drink ! i will tell father christmas i need a bank loan!
P.Mulligan, london, london
I couldn't agree more with the lady from Hastings! I also went on Sunday and the whole day was an utter disappointment. The dome "flight" was completely unconvincing, even for my 4-year-old; the fake snow was scant; the toy factory failed to deliver on the inference of helping the elves to make rocking horses and was cramped; the elves looked uncomfortable and awkward in front of the children. The gingerbread house was a saving grace, but the whole experience was definitely not worth the money – in fact, it was a waste of money. I also had to pay full price for my one-year-old, for whom there was absolutely nothing to do. There were too many lulls in activities – they could have had entertainers for the bits "in between" timed events. It's not hard to tap into a child's imagination with some thought, effort and enthusiasm, but these were entirely lacking at Lapland UK and as a result neither we nor our children were impressed. It is a massively missed opportunity. Such a shame.
Judy Barratt, Bristol,
I visited here on Sunday and was really disappointed. The information on the leaflet was nothing like we actually experienced. On arrival we were told " not to touch the snow", the 'simulator' was basically a tent, there were tipees with hardly anyone in them apart from a man dressed up reading from a piece of paper. The huskies looked nervous and it was only day 2. The ice cafe was a shed with a window cut out, and after paying £ 3.50 for a cup of hot chocolate I felt that we had really been taken advantage of. The 15 mins of snow was basically a small machine on top of one of the sheds blowing out hardly anything for 5 minutes. The gingerbread house was exciting but the toy shop was noisey and accommadated too many people at one time. The pathways through the forest were enchanting but where they led to was again nothing to write home about. The post office was a garden shed with a post office counter, no effort was made to decorate it both inside and out.
samantha cullen, Hastings, East Sussex
I hope it's better than the appalling effort at the NEC a few years ago.
Sue, Nottingham,