B&B & Medley Court Guests

Visits to Father Christmas in his Grotto must be pre booked. Grotto sessions for our Guests start at the time shown on your tickets.  Children must be accompanied by a maximum of 2 adults (Maximum 5 persons per group). Your Grotto booking time is the time you are required to arrive at the Grotto, not your booked time with Father Christmas, which is allocated when you arrive at the Grotto. Please do not arrive at the Grotto before your booking time as you may be turned away to allow for social distancing.

As a B&B or Medley Court Guest you will receive an exclusive guest viewing of the Castle on the day of your departure between 11.00am-11.30am before the Castle opens to the General Public. If you would like to view the Castle at another time during your stay a timed slot will need to be reserved with the Reception team upon check in. Times are allocated on a first come first served basis.

As a B&B or Medley Court Guest you are of course invited to explore the Gardens during day visitor hours from 11.30am – 8.30pm each day, however you will also have access to the majority of the Gardens before this time.  

Nothing says ‘Christmas’ quite like a visit to Father Christmas at Hever Castle. Travel through the land of Christmas, meet cheerful elves and wander through along the paths until you get to Father’s Christmas’ toy workshop to meet the big man himself! This experience is in a tent, a covered but open staged setting. Tickets cost £12 per child and children will receive an age appropriate gift.

Before booking, please read the important information at the bottom of this page.

This Christmas at Hever Castle become Peter Pan and chase your shadow through Neverland to experience the wonders of never growing old.

Outside in the grounds, take a magical journey along the immersive Christmas trail. Follow the one-way system and start your voyage in London in the nursery. Then, ‘fly high’ above the City streets into space and follow the directions to Neverland - second star to the right and straight on till morning. Discover where Peter’s friends The Lost Boys live, visit the Mermaid Lagoon, the Native American camp and be wary when you tiptoe past the Crocodile with his ticking clock and Captain Hook’s pirate ship at the dock. As the trail finishes, spot Nana the dog in her kennel.

After you have explored the captivating displays, meet characters from Peter Pan (Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Wendy and Mr Smee) as you wander through the gardens. In front of the Castle, ride the carousel (£1 – card only) and enjoy vintage fairground stalls including a coconut shy and hoopla (£1 – card only). Appreciate relaxed Christmas shopping in the Gift Shops, and sample delicious festive food in the restaurants and kiosks. The Play Areas will be open in the daytime. On peak days there will be timed sessions and you may need to queue for your chosen Play Area. Entry is on a first come first served basis.

For the magical Twilight Christmas experience, wrap up warm and enjoy a walk under the stars at. Witness the enchantment of the Castle, gardens and lake festooned with fabulous colours and twinkling lights, capturing the spirit of Christmas. Bring torches and pop on your wellies to see the spectacular, after-dark, illuminated trail and Hever Castle’s much-loved landmarks lit up with glorious colour washes.

Timings

To enjoy the full experience of Christmas at Hever Castle we recommend you allow enough time for each of the elements of the experience that you wish to include. Attractions, shops and eateries will start closing before the final exit time.

• Father Christmas’ Grotto – 30 minutes
• Christmas Trail 30 - 45 minutes
• Carousel 30 - 45 minutes
• Vintage Fairground Stalls 30 - 45 minutes
• Eating 30 - 45 minutes
• Shopping 30 minutes - 1 hour
• Play Areas 30 minutes (Daytime)

Queuing at many of the attractions will be necessary even when tickets have been pre booked.

As much of this experience is outdoors we recommend you wrap up warm and pop on your wellies or suitable shoes.

Important Information

• What’s new/different in 2020?
• What safety measures will be in place?
• Access statement
• Tickets
• Father Christmas’ Grotto
• Annual Members
• Carers
• B&B Guests

What’s new/different in 2020?

• Christmas Trail – This will be one-way only to enable social distancing. Please take a look at the map before booking and before your visit to help you plan your experience. There will be no characters on the trail this year, instead they will be interacting with visitors around the grounds and the trail will be an immersive experience full of sights and sounds but a no touch area to minimise risk. There will be no ‘snow’ on the trail for 2020. The theme this year is Peter Pan.
  
• Father Christmas’ Grotto – The waiting area will be under cover but outdoors with ample space to allow for social distancing. Father Christmas will be located in the Grotto marquee, but the setting will be an open staged to workshop, not in a log cabin as in previous years. There will be no ‘snow’ in the Grotto for 2020.
  
• Castle – We are limiting numbers in the rooms of the Castle to enable social distancing. Our Guests receive a priority Castle viewing at 11:00 each morning. You are welcome to enter the Castle outside of this window during opening hours but queuing will be necessary. Please show your admission ticket on arrival. Audio Guides will not be available during the Christmas experience.
• Vintage Fair– You may be asked to remove your gloves whilst enjoying the vintage fairground games, you will need to sanitise your hands before entering the carousel or having a go on the coconut shy and hoopla. Please stick to your bubbles and we will keep you in your own areas on the carousel as much as this allows. Please note this is subject to change. Purchase your tickets for the Vintage Fair on the day. This will be payable by card only.
• Shopping – The Hever Shop will be open daily 11:30am – 8:00pm (4pm on Christmas Eve) and the Courtyard Shop Weekends and Daily from 9th December.
  
• Eating & Drinking – There will be a selection of eateries available on site with festive themed food and drink available. More details to follow.

What safety measures will be in place?

When you visit, we will also have safety measures in place. Please respect the rules and guidelines for your own protection and the safety of others. Those that do not follow the guidelines may be approached by staff and may be asked to leave. 

Abuse of any kind will not be tolerated.

We promise to keep you feeling safe by:

• Restricting visitor numbers
• Providing a warm welcome at a distance
• Patrolling our site to monitor visitor activity
• Using one way systems to enable social distancing
• Providing additional cleaning of facilities
• Staff will wear face coverings in line with current government guidelines
• Operating a cashless system

What we ask of you in return to show you care:

• Book an arrival time online
• Adhere to the arrival times that you have been provided for all activities. Do not arrive before your arrival time as you will be turned away and asked to return later.
• Adhere to the ‘rule of six’. Any groups larger than this will be asked to disperse unless they are visiting as a household or support bubble which is larger than 6.
• Keep two metres away from other visitors
• Follow the one-way systems in the grounds
• Wash your hands for 20 seconds after using facilities
• Use hand sanitiser when necessary
• Take your litter home with you
• Wear a face covering face coverings in line with current government guidelines(usual exemptions apply) 

Access statement 

Christmas access statement

Tickets

• All tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable unless the event is cancelled or covered by any refund protection purchased (see T&Cs).
• Tickets must be pre booked online.
• Tickets will remain in your basket for 15 mins for you to complete your purchase. After this time they will automatically go back on sale.
• Please note your booking reference when it appears on the screen. If you do not receive an email confirmation please email stay@hevercastle.co.uk.
• Always check details before travelling. Hever Castle reserves the right to close all or part of the Castle, grounds, catering outlets and activities, and to change or cancel events.

Father Christmas’ Grotto

• Pre booking is essential.
• Only 2 adults per group in the grotto (maximum 5 persons per group).
• We will ask the name of each child to make the experience as special as possible.
• The age range for the ticket selected will determine the age appropriate gift.
• Your Grotto booking time is the time you are required to arrive at the Grotto, not your booked time with Father Christmas, which is allocated when you arrive at the Grotto. Please do not arrive at the Grotto before your booking time as you may be turned away to allow for social distancing.
• You should arrive in the gardens 30 minutes (unless otherwise specified) before your visit with Father Christmas. If you miss your slot you may be asked to try again later but may risk not being able to see Father Christmas at all.