Lotherton is unveiling a brand-new Halloween trail this half term, with ‘Spellbound’ inviting families to help ten witches mend a broken charm across the estate’s woods, gardens and Wildlife World, running from 24 October to 1 November.
Every autumn, so the story goes, Lotherton’s witches join forces to cast one shared charm, bottling up the last warmth of summer to help the estate weather the winter ahead — but this time round the spell has unravelled, its ten words flung across the grounds, one to a witch, waiting to be pieced back together.
Kids pick up a spellbook by the entrance and go looking for ten decorated willow arches dotted around the site, each one belonging to a different witch, elaborately dressed with lights, foliage-covered brooms and trinkets.
Find all ten clues and the charm can be restored at the estate’s Great Cauldron in “Cinderwick Village.”
Along the way, visitors meet characters including Old Mother Wren, surrounded by willows and hanging herbs, and weather-reading siblings The Silvermoor Twins.
Plus a pumpkin patch
This is the newest project to come out of the ongoing tie-up between Breeze Leeds and Lotherton, which has previously delivered hits like The Christmas Experience and Dragon Quest, and runs alongside the estate’s regular pumpkin patch and a third run for after-dark event Once Upon a Nightmare. Lotherton picked up the Best Halloween Experience for Families prize at last year’s Yorkshire Tots to Teens Awards.
Cllr James Gibson, who covers environment for Leeds City Council, said: “This year, Halloween at Lotherton promises to be better than ever, with magical events for the whole family. Once Upon a Nightmare is perfect for thrill seekers aged nine and above who are fans of fairytales with a scary twist, whereas Spellbound will be an enchanting trail for those interested in helping our witches mend a spell at a gentler pace.”
Spellbound is included within general admission to Lotherton.
