Syon Park Enchanted Woodland

I have wanted to visit Syon Park’s Enchanted Woodland feature for years and was quick enough to grab a Groupon discount on two adult tickets for the opening weekend this year. I went with my boyfriend on Sunday evening and, despite the trek to get to Syon Lane train station from East London, we weren’t disappointed. The weather that day was miserable due to a deluge of rain, so we were optimistic that it would clear up by the time we arrived. Mercifully, the weather cleared up and this likely deterred massive crowds on the evening as an added benefit!
Getting to Syon Park from Syon Lane station isn’t too tricky– you simply have to follow the crowd. There are also detailed instructions on the website to find the pedestrian gates. We unfortunately had trouble getting back to the station as the gate we came through was locked at 17:30 and we had to take a massive detour around the parking lot. The trains only seem to run every 40 minutes back to Waterloo, so we had to catch a bus back to Hammersmith and get on the tube from there.
Aside from the difficulties getting home, the Enchanted Woodland is a wonderful attraction that is worth such inconveniences. We arrived around 17:30 and spent over an hour wandering through the park and admiring the view– the trees are lit up in an array of blues, reds, greens and purples and hidden smoke machines fill the air with an ominous layer of fog. There are hidden mythical creatures and animals in the landscape and a few laser shows that seemed to entertain children in particular. You follow a meandering trail through the park, then come across an illuminated stately home and a picturesque conservatory, which hosts some impressive cacti.
There is a café at the end of the trail that sells a great selection of hot and cold food, espresso coffees, hot chocolate and a delectable selection of mince pies, cakes and squares. There is also a food market set up outside that offered hamburgers and hot food from the grill.
There were plenty of families and pushchairs on the night we were there, but we were able to space ourselves out adequately and it didn’t feel too cramped. Due to the weather earlier on, there was some mud and puddles along the path, so I would advise wellies if you visit on a wet day. I would admittedly have liked to attend an ‘adult-​only’ night of the Enchanted Woodland, as the echoes of screaming children were ubiquitous and it was difficult to see some of the sights due to large families clustering and fussing, but there were plenty of couples there as well.
I strongly recommend visiting the Enchanted Woodland if you get the chance– it’s only open over a few weekends every year (late November/​early December) and is the perfect activity in the lead up to Christmas. We will definitely try to visit again next year and mark it as an annual tradition.