The 23 Christmas events and attractions you can still book from magical markets to festive train rides

WITH 1 period until Christmas, the state is already glittering with fabulous festive fun.

So you tin commencement the celebrations now, by walking stunning airy trails, jumping connected Santa steam trains and buying astatine colourful markets.

Trisha Harbord dives into a sackful of household events and attractions.

Santa specials

RIDE the five-mile enactment featured successful 1970 film The Railway Children. Events aboard Keighley & Worth Valley Railway successful West Yorkshire see a show of A Christmas Carol, Elf Explorer with Santa and his elves, a carol work and mince pastry specials.

Runs until January 5. From £24. See kwvr.co.uk.

Santa has been weaving his magic connected the Kent & East Sussex railway for 50 years. To celebrate, packages for a travel connected the decorated carriages from Tenterden person added extras including gifts, household photo, mulled wine and a presumption winter wonderland.

Runs until Christmas Eve. Tickets from £30. See kesr.org.uk.

The large antheral and his pals are backmost connected the Great Central Railway, handing retired pressies and starring singalongs.

Families articulation the decorated steam train, which volition intermission astatine Leicestershire’s Swithland Viaduct for fantastic views of the reservoir, astatine Loughborough Central Station.

The railway besides has Christmas eating events. Runs until Christmas Eve. From £8. See gcrailway.co.uk.

Take a Polar Express bid to observe 20 years of the movie based connected the fashionable children’s book. Several practice railways are moving the adventure, including South Devon, Wensleydale successful North Yorkshire and Kent’s Spa Valley.

And it volition besides depart London Euston for the archetypal time.

Singing chefs archer the communicative arsenic you conscionable the film’s characters. Various dates, South Devon summons from £42.90. See raileventsint.co.uk.

Magic markets

YORK’S marketplace is transformed into a colourful wonderland, with 75 decorated alpine chalets selling section crafts and gifts. Runs until December 22.

Also sojourn Yorkshire Yuletide Village successful The Guildhall from December 3-20, for jewellery, art, textiles, soaps and ceramics. See visityork.org.

Have a solid of gluhwein portion listening to unrecorded euphony successful Chester. More than 80 marketplace stalls, selling nutrient situation the elephantine tree.

Runs until December 22. Pop into the medieval cathedral earlier January 5 to spot much decorated firs. See visitchester.com.

With its lit-up fort, Pembroke Castle’s marketplace successful Wales is beautiful. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, it runs for 3 days from November 29.

Besides 80 stalls, determination volition beryllium carol singers and musicians – and Santa arrives connected the Friday. See pembrokecastle.co.uk.

Canterbury cathedral archetypal hosted a Christmas marketplace successful its Kent grounds successful 1383 – and present it’s back.

There volition beryllium woody stalls, food and drink outlets, a carousel and unrecorded music. Runs until December 24. See canterbury-cathedral.org.

Manchester attracts millions of radical to its markets successful 9 locations, including St Ann’s Square and Piccadilly Gardens, until December 22. Stalls successful Cathedral Gardens are unfastened until December 31. See visitmanchester.com.

Terrific trails

THE Royal Horticultural Society is bringing its gardens to beingness with spectacular RHS Glow trails.

Hyde Hall successful Essex, Surrey’s Wisley, Bridgewater successful Greater Manchester, North Yorkshire’s Harlow Carr and Rosemoor, North Devon, person each been turned into a kaleidoscope of colour. Adults £12.95, children £6.95. See rhs.org.uk.

Aglow astatine Auckland Palace lights up Bishop Auckland skies. The 1.5-mile way done the County Durham gardens has 22 displays, including a 100-metre airy passageway – the longest successful the state – neon trees and Santa’s Village. Open until December 31. Adult £21.75, children £14.75. See aucklandaglow.org.

Sony Music’s My Christmas Trails present see respective English Heritage sites, too. At Dunham Massey successful Cheshire determination is simply a airy show crossed the lake.

Westonbirt successful Gloucestershire is showcasing much than 1 cardinal twinklers. Dates vary. Adults from £18, children £12. See mychristmastrails.co.uk.

Eleven elephantine recyclable artworks, inspired by clime action, signifier the World of Flowers successful Derby. Free until December 31. See visitderby.co.uk.

Longleat Safari Park celebrates its Festival Of Light’s tenth anniversary, with thousands of lanterns and bulbs shimmering to music.

On the Wiltshire property until January 5. Adults from £47.95, children £35.95, including safari park. See longleat.co.uk.

Sparkling shows

BLENHEIM Palace’s immersive Christmas spectacular tells the communicative of Peter Pan, transporting visitors to the fantastical satellite of Neverland.

The Oxfordshire Unesco World Heritage tract has teamed up with Great Ormond Street Hospital, which volition person portion of the summons sales.

The palace’s opulent authorities rooms are exquisite and you’ll conscionable Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook, the crocodile and Tinker Bell.

Runs until January 1. Adults £38, children £22. See blenheimpalace.com.

Santa is flying into London’s Natural History Museum with a sackload of books. Join him and his elves and reindeer successful a fairy-light wonderland to perceive him work Christmas classics.

From December 1-15. Adults free, children £17. See nhm.ac.uk.

Get acceptable for the wow origin astatine Great Yarmouth’s Christmas Spectacular & Water Show.

Circus performers, aerialists and acrobats volition thrill the assemblage earlier the Hippodrome signifier becomes a elephantine excavation with fountains and synchronised swimmers.

From December 7 to January 5. Adults from £22, children from £12. See hippodromecircus.co.uk.

Head to Bluewater Shopping Centre successful Kent to find The Elf On The Shelf.

Families spell done an 11ft doorway to participate a North Pole-inspired wonderland – with games, histrion decorating and snowball throwing – to dispersed Christmas cheer with the assistance of Santa’s elves.

Until Christmas Eve. Adults £6.50, children £14.50. See bluewater.co.uk/elf-shelf-christmas-adventure.

Watch toys travel to beingness during a show of The Nutcracker astatine Leeds Castle successful Kent.

Uncover surprises arsenic the classical communicative to rescue the Sugar Plum Fairy is played retired on beautifully decorated rooms successful what was erstwhile the location of Henry VIII.

There’s a Nutcracker day tea, too. Until January 5. Adults £31.50, children £22.50. See leeds-castle.com.

Super skates

SKATE and sing connected an outdoor rink successful Newcastle metropolis centre. Book a karaoke league to serenade chap skaters.

There are besides soundless discos connected the crystal successful Times Square, extracurricular the Life Science Centre. Runs until January 5. From £13.50. See life.org.uk.

For a large skating experience, sojourn Nottingham’s wintertime wonderland. There’s a ground-level rink and kids’ version. Thrillseekers volition emotion the Sky Skate – an crystal way that takes you implicit the marketplace square.

Enjoy a portion successful the frosty Ice Bar, oregon drawback a mulled vino successful the surrounding marketplace stalls. Runs until December 31. From £12.50. See visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk.

Hop connected the crystal rink astatine London’s Somerset House and you could beryllium sloping disconnected to Barbados oregon the Maldives. Virgin Atlantic Holidays is Skate’s spouse this twelvemonth and anyone visiting tin participate a contention to triumph £5,000 successful vacation vouchers.

Choreographer Vanessa Bauer and Virgin unit opened the rink successful spectacular style. Virgin is hosting exclusive skating evenings. Runs until January 12. From £10. See somersethouse.org.uk.