Making my way through an enchanted forest on a pair of skis, gliding past sparkling reindeer and a cackling snow queen, I finally got that festive feeling.

You can’t fail to feel festive at Stockeld Park at this time of year. The 2,000-acre North Yorkshire farming site and tree plantation has been transformed into the Christmas Adventure, where visitors journey through a winter wonderland by skis, ice-skates or on foot.

Attractions include a magical forest filled with giggling fairies, sparkling unicorns and talking trees; a shimmering outdoor ice rink; a woodland ski trail; an illuminated maze and a rustic Santa’s grotto.

We left the real world behind and entered the Enchanted Forest, following a 1.2km trail through pretty woodland, illuminated by spectacular lighting. You can walk or ski through the wood – we chose the latter, swapping our footwear for ski shoes which strapped onto Nordic skis.

Holding onto poles for balance, we followed a green carpet around the trail. I haven’t been skiing for years, and my sister and her boys had never set foot in a pair of skis, so having huge long flapping clown’s feet took a bit of getting used to, but we were soon cruising along.

As far as I can tell, Nordic skiing is basically walking, or sliding your feet forward, with skis on, but it’s good fun and people of all ages, from children to grandparents, were having a go. The route is designed to give novices an introduction to the sport, using authentic Nordic ski equipment on the gently undulating trail.

I could feel my arms and legs working as we followed the trail. Apparently, Nordic ski-ing burns up more calories per hour than any other sport through low-risk, low-impact aerobic exercise, so it’s great for the pre-Christmas diet.

Making our way around the forest, we encountered an assortment of woodland creatures and characters, bathed in coloured lights as the evening darkness descended. Dotted among the trees were grazing deer, a pack of howling wolves, Merlin the Wizard clutching his book of spells, and a 20ft-high troll clambouring through trees. Hovering on the surface of the lake were angels, lit up in red, while lining the water’s edge were flamingos and geese.

Stockeld Park was bought in 1875 Robert John Foster, former owner of Black Dyke Mills in Queensbury, and is now the family home of his great grandson, Peter Grant.

On arrival, we had lunch at the Lake View Cafe, housed in a marquee with a huge Christmas tree and chandeliers hanging over tables. There was a long queue, inevitable at this time of year, and they ran out of baked potatoes, leaving pizza, packed children’s lunches and a selection of home-baked cakes.

Outside, skaters were gliding around the ice rink as we made our way to the Snowflake Maze. The sprawling maze of 8ft-high yew trees, said to be the largest in Yorkshire, is illuminated by thousands of twinkling lights and has a mile of paths and intriguing surprises hidden behind its trees and hedges.

Following winding paths with names like “No Signal Street”, “Wrong Way Avenue” and “Sat Nav on the Blink”, and several dead ends and locked gates, we came across the Castle Viewing Tower, giving us chance to climb up and look out onto the maze to try and get our bearings. We had no chance. Each one of us had a different theory about which path we were supposed to take next, so we chose one at random and eventually, after following the sound of musical wood chimes, found a map which my sister took a snap of on her mobile.

After a few more wrong turns, taking us across a railway track and past a bridge, we came to the Children of the World Globe at the centre of the maze. From there, we worked out how to follow the twisting pathway to the exit, meeting several confused-looking visitors along the way!

We had a look around the Gift Emporium, which offers gifts, homeware and Christmas decorations, before calling it a day. It was getting dark and carloads of visitors were arriving for an evening visit to the illuminated site.

Factfile:

  • Stockeld Park is on the A661 between Wetherby and Spofforth, North Yorkshire.
  • The Christmas Adventure is open daily until January 6 from 10.30am to 8.30pm, apart from Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
  • It closes at 7pm on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and there’s a late opening at 1pm on New Year’s Day.
  • Nordic skiing is not suitable for children under six. Children between six and 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
  • The Snowflake Maze is suitable for all ages but under-14s must be accompanied by an adult.
  • There is an open-air disco on the ice-skating rink every Friday until January 3 from 6.30pm - 8.30pm. No skating for children under four.
  • Call (01937) 586101 or visit thechristmas adventure.com, stockeldpark.co.uk, or yorkshire.com.