The Enchanted Forest 2013

In what has become something of an annual family tradition, we visited The Enchanted Forest event last weekend as a group of six adults and five little ones aged between 2 and 8 years. Held each October at Faskally near Pitlochry in Perthshire, the event fuses light and sound effects to create a unique experience in a woodland setting around a small loch.

Each year has a different theme and arrangement, which must be challenging for the designers.  This years theme is "absorb" with the emphasis on the "Orb", featuring circles and globes as a linking theme.  That could range from the literal circle or globe to the circle of life and beyond!  Once again, the whole event lived up to high expectation.

Visitors are taken to the site by bus, a five minute journey from Pitlochry, and are then met at the entrance and shown the start of the path.  Once in the site, you can stay as long as you wish with bus departures back to Pitlochry every ten minutes or so through the evening.  The fun starts with a large orb overhanging a circular area - useful for family photos!

We were fortunate to get a dry, clear evening this year, though in truth the weather isn't a major factor in the enjoyment of the event.  In fact sometimes rain and mist can enhance the effects.  The path is well surfaced as ist's normally a popular Forest Enterprise walk.

There are eight main areas to the display, one of which stood out as truly exceptional - an orchestral piece with a stunning lightshow.  The lighting is superb, but really it's the combination with the forest and the loch, the utilisation and blending with natural elements which makes the whole event work so well.

The subtlety of some of the effects this year was a real highlight (if you'll excuse the pun!) .  Aside from the main displays, there are rocks from which mist and light appear to emanate, groups of small blinking eyes watching visitors watching back and much, much more.

A central bridge which last year was lit in ultraviolet shades with water cascading from it was transformed into a shimmering path of light visible from most of the site.  Along the way is a large  Yurt (tent) where a storyteller is in residence, regular sessions are given through the evening at a very nominal additional charge of £1.

The loch itself forms the setting for one of the main displays with globes appearing to float over their own reflections and respond to music and sound, changing colours and pulsing with light.

Away from the main displays, colour and light continually shifts through the trees whilst individual trees are lit around the paths to provide both light and a striking effect.

The route around the site feels like a proper journey but is short enough that little ones can manage it comfortably.  Many folk go around more than once, as we did with the eldest little one.

The Enchanted Forest runs until 27th October this year.  If you have children, grandchildren or simply a bit of child-like wonder, it's highly recommnded!

The Enchanted Forest 2012

I've blogged about it previously , and we visited The Enchanted Forest again earlier this week with our daughter and two of our grandchildren. This year the theme is "Flow", based around the elements.  Symbols and names for trees in runes, symbols and ancient scripts are at various places around the Faskally Wood.

Met by "Druids", we were taken as a group to the start of the path around the lochan, then visitors can move at their own pace, and are welcome to walk around as many times as they like.  The audio and visual effects are once again of very high quality

And in some places absolutely stunning.  On the evening we visited it was raining quite heavily and misty, which if anything added to the effects.  Wellies and waterproofs enabled even two and three year olds to walk around the whole site and still want more.

Children of all ages were fascinated by the flow of brightly lit water from the top of the bridge over the lochan - it took some time before most could be persuaded to move on!

This unusual display was placed in trees above and around the path, creating a 3D space as the path twists down a short incline.  This year there was also a storyteller in a Yurt along the route (with a magical Unicorn to point the way)

For 2011 the event moved to another site in Pitlochry, but is back "home" at Faskally this year - the tenth event.  In truth, this site would be very hard to surpass - the combination of water, woods and a route of just the right length combine to superb effect.  It's a real community effort and supported by government bodies such as Forest Enterprise and Creative Scotland as well as the town of Pitlochry.

Once again we thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and as ever it was especially magical to experience it through the eyes of little ones.  Whether or not you have children with you, the Enchanted Forest is a great evening out in Scotland's elements.

The Enchanted Forest

This year's Enchanted Forest event in Perthshire is underway, running until 7th November.

The theme this year is "Force of Nature", with trees, water, light, sound and fire all playing their part.

The sound quality is much improved over last year, and it has been used to great effect in combination with the lighting.
The features of the wood at Loch Faskally have been incorporated too.  The lighting of the tiny boathouse made a dramatic start to the walk around the loch.

From the bridge near the end of the loch, the light constantly changes, sometimes in a subtle way and sometimes with sudden, dramatic effect.

It's too easy to dismiss Pitlochry as a hackneyed tourist trap aiming for coach-bound visitors, but the town has really got behind this event and the Highland Perthshire Autumn Festival.  There's music, street theatre, storytelling and a Autumn/Hallowe'en theme throughout.

It's also easy to dismiss The Enchanted forest as a gimmick - but a visit with children on a still, clear night as when we visited is a magical experience for all.  Recommended!