What better way to lift our spirits on a dark, damp evening than with a visit to the RHS Garden Harlow Carr to view their Glow Illuminations.
It’s the first year that lights have been installed in the gardens, and as we have visited Harlow Carr on numerous occasions in daylight we were eager to view the landscape after dusk. The gardens are located in Beckwithshaw on the outskirts of Harrogate, North Yorkshire and have ample free parking.
Before leaving the car, we wrapped up warm with hats, scarves and gloves and made our way over to the visitor centre with its welcoming twinkling lights and beautifully decorated Christmas tree helping us to get into the festive spirit.
Over in one corner, the Thurnscoe Male Voice Choir were performing and we almost forgot that we had come to follow the Glow trail as we stood for quite some time listening to their uplifting, festive music.
Stepping outdoors, the gardens were a winter wonderland of colour. One of the guides told us that it had taken a team of six people an entire week to assemble the 400 LED light fittings using 4,100 metres of cable. As we walked along the trail, the perfectly positioned Illuminations made the most of the natural features, highlighting specific trees and shrubs and painting them with light.
The garden borders and winter walk have been transformed into an enchanting display, bringing a touch of magic to this most northerly of RHS gardens. Around the Queen Mother Lake, cleverly placed lights produce stunning reflections on the water with views across to the main buildings.
Mid way around the trail, we warmed up with mugs of mulled wine and overindulged on mince pies and Christmas cake in the Betty’s Cafe and Tearooms pavilion. This cosy setting provided us with even more festive cheer and a chance to sit and relax before completing our evening stroll.
There were even more stunning lighting effects to admire alongside the stream side sculpture trail from where we had some splendid views looking back towards the visitor centre. The illuminations showcase the structure of the gardens after dark, adding a new dimension to Harlow Carr in the run up to Christmas.
Before returning home we took a look in the RHS gift shop where we found much to tempt us as Christmas approaches. Beyond the gift shop there is a large plant centre which seemed to stock everything for the garden enthusiast whatever the time of year.
Visiting Glow was an absolute delight and a real opportunity to see Harlow Carr in a different light! If you might also be interested in seeing the Glow winter illuminations they are taking place each weekend (Thursday to Saturday) between 23rd November and 30th December 2017, with a reduced garden admission price of £8 (RHS members free of charge) after 3.00 p.m. Last admission to the gardens is one hour before closure at 7.00 p.m.
I would like to thank the team at RHS Harlow Carr for inviting me to attend their Winter Glow preview evening. As always, all views and opinions are entirely my own.
If you have enjoyed reading this post you may also like:
Harlow Carr Gardens in the springtime
Harrogate and its Turkish Baths
Suggested accommodation in the surrounding area:
The Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa, Bolton Abbey
Love Travelling Blog 
What a great display. I could almost taste the mulled wine and mince. Thanks for sharing Marion. Allan
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Thank you Allan. Visiting the winter illuminations was delightful but a little hard to photograph due to the rain! Marion
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What an absolute treat! Helps me to get into the Festive Season. Great photos. Thanks so much for including me on your travels!
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It’s my pleasure, so good to read your positive thoughts, thank you.
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Looks magical Marion, the lights are beautiful. Mulled wine and mince pies at Bettys sounds like the icing on the cake!
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It was a lovely evening out Joy and it would be impossible to resist sampling some of Betty’s offerings.
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Very Nice. Thanks
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Thank you for your much appreciated comments.
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Quite a few places are doing this kind of thing now, and it’s a nice idea. I haven’t been to a Christmas one yet but the botanic gardens in Durham were lit for Lumiere and they were the best feature of the event. Many thanks for sharing. I might go. 🙂 🙂
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I’m sure the Botanic Gardens in Durham looked beautiful for Lumiere Jo. You could easily combine a visit to Harlow Carr with a look around Harrogate. We have sometimes left our car at the gardens and taken the footpath which leads into the Valley Gardens and makes for a nice stroll.
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Sounds good! Maybe next time we go to visit our son, who lives in Leeds x
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I adore all these lights! I haven’t been to see the Alexander Street lights this year in Helsinki yet…
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I love Christmas lights. I noticed that the Helsinki ones had been switched on – I’m certain the city centre looks magical Suvi.
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I was smiling when I read your post Marion as you were rugging up to go out and when I got home from work I took off a top to reveal only a t-shirt as it was too hot outside to walk the dogs with two tops on.
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As I get older I dislike feeling the cold more and more. Oh, how I wish I could over winter somewhere warm!
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Dramatic lighting . . . . trees that glow are magical. All the effort made for a beautiful garden. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for your kind words. The gardens have made a great effort to turn the gardens into a magical experience.
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Beautiful post. Thanks for sharing!
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It’s my pleasure. Thank you for your much appreciated thoughts.
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Your posts never disappoint. I think you could write even about moving some rocks in the garden and I would still be delighted. I love your tender voice and how you see everything. It’s simply delightful. The photos are so precise and stunning. What camera are you using? Also, that gift shop it’s appealing. I can even picture myself there trying to find the perfect Christmas presents. Did you buy anything from there?
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Thank you so much for your kind words. It’s inspiring comments such as these that give me confidence to continue writing. I use a LUMIX TZ80 camera which I love as it just fits neatly in my bag. The gift shop is gorgeous and I’m sure I’ll be popping back again before Christmas for another look.
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So beautiful! Thank you for taking us on that journey with you.
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It’s my pleasure Ian. I’m pleased you enjoyed the tour. Taking nighttime photos can be difficult, especially when it is wet.
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The lighting is so dynamic – I’m looking at LED floodlights as I write! Thanks for the inspiration
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What are a great idea to try and do something like this in your own garden. I’m happy my post inspired you.
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Beautiful and I can only imagine how the male choir would get you in the Christmas mood. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks so much for your kind words. I know it’s still November but it was a gorgeous start to the festive season.
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How fun!
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Thank you, it was a lovely evening.
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Beautiful 😀
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Thank you.
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A lovely series of pictures. Very festive!
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Thank you so much for your kind words. Happy to read that you enjoyed this post.
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wow.. the trees 😍
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Thank you, the trees looked stunning.
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yup.. 😊
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This looks absolutely wonderful. I have been to RHS flower shows, which are so good. Thank you very much for sharing this, I have added this on my wish list .
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Thank you for your kind words. I hope you get an opportunity to visit Glow.
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