This year we were very kindly invited to review the Silverstone Lap of Lights in Northamptonshire, their Christmas lights trail. We were actually supposed to be going to the press launch night, but had the opening of Chiltern View Ice Rink that night so went last night instead. And I’m glad we went when it was open to the public because it means we got to find out some stuff you need to know when visiting. Believe me, there are some things you really need to know when visiting yourselves! Make sure you read the hints and tips when visiting section if you’ve got tickets to go!
We were gifted admission to the Silverstone Lap of Lights in order to write this review, however they had no input into its contents and did not read it prior to publication.
Getting onto the track
First thing you need to know about the Silverston Lap of Lights is that when you get onto the track, that’s not actually when you start your lap. There’s a bit where you’re driving along all excitedly ready to see the lights, and actually going at a reasonable pace! And then you hit the back of the M25! We were stuck in stop/start traffic for 25 minutes before our lap actually started. Bring snacks, distractions and a sunny disposition!
At first I couldn’t figure out why there was the queue. And I was seriously worried that is what it would be like the whole way around. Turns out they group you together and have pace cars between each group. They stop all the cards to leave a big enough gap, hence the queue.
Silverstone Lap of Lights
And so onto the lights. It’s Silverstone and so their Christmas light trail has a decidedly vehicle related theme. You’ll find a variety of cars lit up around the end of the track. There’s pyramids made from those massive water butts they use as barriers. Don’t worry there are also Christmas themed lights too. There’s massive candy canes and Christmas trees with spotlights as baubles. And spotlights on the floor, pointing right into your car. It’s VERY bright. And by bright I mean blinding. In fact we actually noticed the spotlights in the sky at PADBURY which is 9 miles away!!
The premise is that you’re travelling around the world with Santa and that the lights are themed to reflect the different areas. America has a massive truck which makes sense. Africa has pyramids.
The ring of fire has volcanoes. Some of the others are a big tenuous. You also have to see if you can spot cardboard cut-outs of Santa on the way round.
First Impressions
What did I think of the lights? They’re alright. A bit underwhelming really. They did mention that there were some weather related technical difficulties so a couple of them weren’t working last night. We didn’t see anything that didn’t appear to be working so I don’t know which ones they were talking about. The fact that you’re in your car is a MASSIVE plus to this Christmas trail. On the day that we visited to Silverstone Lap of Lights to do our review it was freezing. We didn’t have to worry because we were toasty in our car though.
The final straight was pretty cool, and you got to see Santa at the end. It took one hour from ticket check to Santa’s shed. For context Lewis Hamilton can do it in 1 minute, 24 seconds. Schumacher did it in 1 minute 18!
The Lodge
The lodge is probably the best bit of the night. There’s a bar area with live music that looks a bit like apres ski. Hidden behind that, and upstairs there’s curling, axe throwing, race car simulations, a seating area for kids to watch movies & write letters to Santa and a lovely little photo area. The bar sells food and snacks as well as drinks. My dad brought the kids a cup of sweets about the size of a regular coffee which was £4 each.
We didn’t get to do any of these because we hadn’t gone to The Lodge first to pre-book (see below about top tips). Plus the kids were all too small (ditto). Also the simulation was closed (double ditto). They looked good though.
Axe Throwing – £8 per person. Minimum age 12 years
Curling. £5 per adult / teens. Kids go free. No minimum age but the stones are heavy and you can’t walk on the playing surface.
There’s also a driving simulator but it was closed, so I don’t know the cost or age limits. On the way into The Lodge there’s lots of cars that you can look at and get your photo taken with. You can even get into some of them! Smallest Child practically dived into one as soon as she was told that.
The Ice Track
This is set up in the pit lane and is designed to look a bit like the race track itself. It’s basically outside so, even for an ice rink it’s COLD. There’s an outdoors viewing area with seating and a coffee cart. You access this around the back. They run on a timed session basis and the ice is cleared between each session. You can hire skates, which is included in the price. You can also hire penguin skate aids for £5. We got into the session a bit late and they didn’t have enough for all of the kids.
TBH I think we were lucky getting onto the session. We would have had to wait for another 90 minutes for a free session, and there’s no way Smallest Child would have been able to wait that late. Because we had press passes to do the review of Silverstone Lap of Lights she squeezed us in mid-session. That was more than enough time for me, but I don’t think they usually do that.
Holding Smallest Child (4) onto her penguin whilst skating along very nearly ruined by already dodgy back. It would have been better if they’d had the skate aids with seats that Chiltern View Ice Rink had. Better for my back at least! Either way it was a bit hit and I now know that I can ice skate with a small person and a penguin between my legs! Important life skill that!
£10 per adult, £5 per child. Minimum age of 3 and shoe size 8 junior. Under 12’s must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Min 1 adult to 3 children. This can be either pre-booked or booked on the day (if there’s space)
Top Tips for Visiting the Silverstone Lap of Lights
IGNORE THE LEAFLET THAT THEY SEND TO YOU! This implies that you should only get there about 30 minutes before your lap and then go on to the lodge afterwards. If you do that you won’t get to do anything. The Lodge opens at either 1/2pm depending on the day (details on their website) and all of the activities need to be pre-booked and they sell out quickly, plus you need to have the time to do them. You cannot pre-book them online. I’d actually recommend getting there several hours early if you want to do a couple fo the activities (don’t forget there’s a while film to watch if the kids want to!)
Wrap up warm if you’re getting out of the car. It’s a long walk from the pre-lap car park to The Lodge and the Ice Track is cold. The post lap car park is much closer though.
Be prepared for the long wait to get onto the track but don’t worry, it won’t be like that the whole time (see above).
Our Silverstone Lap of Lights Review
I got to drive around Silverstone race track. How cool is that? Plus I got to go ice skating. How cool is that (literally!). The lights were OK, but I have seen better. The fact that you spend an hour with incredibly bright lights shining right in your eyes on a regular basis was a bit off-putting. If you want to get the most out of the experience you will probably want to do all of the added extras. With kids in tow, that very quickly adds up.
I know of think it’s worth it just to say you’ve driven around the track! Oh, and you got to see some pretty lights along the way!!!
Admission cost
Cost is per car and varies according to date and time. £40 – £62 plus additional activities. Must be pre-booked via their website.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – Free, plenty on site.
Address – Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire. NN12 8TN. It’s well sign posted.
Toilets
Plenty on site. Some are much more pleasant than others
Food
Take car snacks! Food available on site
What else is there to do nearby?
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook