TIL Dec 2017

6
CHRISTMAS FUN IN THE ROYAL
PARKS
What could be more magical than a
horse-drawn carriage ride in stunning
Richmond Park? This winter, The Royal
Parks has teamed up with Operation
Centaur to offer a six-person carriage
ride through Richmond Park, drawn by
majestic Shire Horses. Enjoy the sounds
of hoofs and bells, revel in the crisp air
and watch the wildlife up close while
you snuggle under a blanket and have
some sloe gin and a mince pie to truly
get into the festive spirit! The 90-minute
experience begins at Holly Lodge,
Richmond Park, where you'll be met with
refreshments. You will take your place in
the carriage, embarking on a 60-minute
ride through the park in all its winter
beauty. Visitors will also be treated to a
unique behind-the-scenes tour of the
working stables. The rides are on
selected dates until 30 December (at
12.00 and 13.00).
As the year’s shortest day approaches,
take a stroll in Kensington Gardens on
Saturday 9 December (10.30-12.00) to
discover how Queen Victoria and her
consort Prince Albert introduced many
of the traditions we recognise today.
Discover why the robin features on
Christmas cards and see first-hand
where the geese were traditionally
fattened for Christmas dinner. Some
traditions stretch right back to pagan
beliefs and were developed to sustain us
through winter’s darkest days – the
expert guide will tell you more.
Families can book to Meet Santa at
ZSL London Zoo as a wintery treat on
9, 10 and 16-24 December. Children can
meet some of their favourite Christmas
characters as well as visit animals. Join
in arts and crafts with Mrs Claus and
chat with cheeky elves before heading
into Santa’s grotto to meet the main man
himself and receive an early Christmas
gift. Packed with pine trees and decked
out for the season, visitors can wander
the Christmas Village before exploring
the rest of the Zoo.
Lovers of The Royal Parks can give
something back when they choose their
Christmas tree this year. Visitors to
Bushy Park, Greenwich Park and
Richmond Park can buy a quality
Christmas tree that not only looks
fantastic, but is grown in a sustainable
manner, in balance with nature.
Since 1864, swimmers have been
taking to the water in Hyde Park to
compete in an icy 100 yard race before
heading home to tuck into their
Christmas dinner on 25 December. Only
members of the Serpentine Swimming
Club can take part but the public can
watch from the sidelines.
The Royal Parks is a charity created
in March 2017 to manage 5,000 acres of
historic Royal parkland across London.
For further details, visit the website
www.royalparks.org.uk
THE HUNT FOR THE CHESHIRE CAT
HiddenCity has a brand new
adventure in London starting at the
National Portrait Gallery on 6 December
where teams of 2-5 players will be able
to embark on The Hunt for the Cheshire
Cat. This latest experience is inspired by
characters and scenarios from the muchloved
classic novel Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland. Players embark on a quest
to find the perpetually mischievous
Cheshire Cat who has escaped from
Wonderland and is hiding somewhere in
the capital. Teams will find themselves
weaving through galleries, descending
into cellar vaults, scouring literary
archives and choosing who to trust, as
they solves clues sent to their phone.
The Cheshire Cat has come to
London to test whether you, like Alice,
can make sense of absurdity in the world
around you. Your challenge is to find
him on an adventure into the strange,
surreal and absurd. Uncover a darker
side to Wonderland and, perhaps,
yourself too...
One hundred and fifty-two years ago,
Alice fell down the rabbit hole into
Wonderland, a world of nonsense,
riddles and contradiction. Before
returning home, Alice showed the
creatures of Wonderland how to find the
rabbit hole, should they ever wish to
visit our world. Years later, one
mischievous creature has chosen to do
just that.
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