CityLife

Lyme Park

A beautiful place to visit this Christmas

ADVERTORIAL

TRYING to find a parking space, battling through crowds, towing lots of bags and one or more small children around... if this is your experience of Christmas shopping, make a change this year - and head instead to Lyme Park.

Stunning scenery, plenty of parking, no queues and a shop full of delightful Christmas gifts will makes shopping at Lyme a real pleasure.

If you're stuck for gift ideas, think about National Trust membership - it makes a great Christmas present and lasts all year round, as well as helping us in our conservation work. You can buy membership at Lyme Park or any National Trust property.

Family games

Keep the family entertained on Christmas Day with the new National Trust version of Monopoly.

At £25 it's great value for money, and has the bonus of featuring three Trust properties in Cheshire: Lyme Park (starring as Mayfair!), Little Moreton Hall and Quarry Bank Mill - as well as Sir Paul McCartney's childhood home in Liverpool.

Lyme's shop has lots of family games and jigsaws in stock this year - so make sure they're on your Christmas list!

Get organised

Want to know who's doing what, when and where in the family? Then our bestselling 2010 Family Organiser is a must at £7.50.

For cards and wrapping paper look no further - all National Trust cards and many of its calendars are exclusive to the Trust, with the money from every card sale going back to support the properties from where the card is sold.

Both card and envelope are made from recycled, FSC accredited paper and have biodegradable packaging. 

Look out for our new square size calendars which are small enough to be posted as a large letter rate - important if you're sending them as gifts.

New calendars for 2010 include: Family Walks, Traditional Recipes and Back From The Brink; the latter highlighting the work of the Trust’s nature conservation teams. 
 
Christmas treats

Father Christmas will be coming to Lyme this year on Sundays during December (6, 13 and 20) as part of Christmas In The Courtyard. There'll be carols and Christmas music, children's craft activities, and the hall, shop and restaurant will be open.

On December 16, Lyme will be holding its traditional carol service in the chapel - admission is free but booking is essential (you can book from December 14).
 
Food of course features high on the Christmas agenda - and you're guaranteed some delicious festive fare at the Timber Yard Coffee Shop, which will be open daily throughout the festive season (except December 25) offering hot soup, sandwiches, home made cakes and mince pies.

Don't forget that the park at Lyme is open daily throughout the year (except December 25) and is a great place to get out and about over the festive season - so put on your walking boots and burn off those Christmas calories!

For details of opening times and Christmas events at Lyme Park, go to www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lymepark or call the property directly on 01663 762 023.