Ad disclosure: we were invited to Light Cycles for the purpose of this review.
Yesterday evening we took Lydia & her bestie Sophie to Stonebridge Golf Club, which can be found near Birmingham Intl. Airport, to check out Light Cycles, which is a spectacular illumination trail unlike any we have been to before.
Light Cycles is more of a sensory immersive experience than merely walking along enjoying some fancy festive lights & scenes. Instead, you walk through the beautiful scenery surrounding Moland’s Mere lake, and along the way experience five very different art installations that bring together nature, sound & light in a dazzling display.
Parking was easy with plenty attendants to tell you where to go, and once we got our tickets scanned we headed to the Welcome Zone where you can get yourself some food and hot & cold drinks. Coffee in hand, we headed down the prettily lit pathway towards the first light cycle, Crystal Grove.
Each installation welcomes you with a sign that repeats aloud a short piece of poetry (in a very soothing voice!), and displays the name & cycle length for that piece in addition to the poem.
Crystal Grove takes you along a path bathed in the enchanting glow of shining mushrooms and artistically lit trees, surrounded by a luminous fog that envelops the water on either side of the path. A captivating soundscape accompanies this captivating scene, and as you stroll along, the intensity of the mushroom’s brightness ebbs and flows, creating a harmonious dynamic that enhances the piece.
At the end of the grove we found what was probably my favourite installation, Forest Frequencies. Here you stop for the length of the cycle (or a bit longer in our case!) to watch the stunning pairing of light and music over the water, with each illuminated tree and strip of light gorgeously reflected in the lake. Lydia and Sophie delighted in a little dance together to the music and dancing light, which brought smiles to everyone around us!
Following the path around the water, we continued on to The Hearth, which is an attractive installation that seems to glow with firelight. The four of us settled into our seats to immerse ourselves in the mesmerising cycle of sound and light.
Fog and spotlights enhance the ambiance, creating an ethereal atmosphere. A soothing soundscape of a beating heart and an uplifting melody accompanies the light show and the sculpture, all seamlessly blending into a multi-sensory experience.
Continuing on, we took a path along the water to Invisible, where a member of staff invited us to approach and take a seat for the next cycle. Patches of bamboo are lit up with projections as a soundscape full of tuneful rhythmic music paired with noises from nature accompanies the visual experience.
At the end of the cycle we walked through the bamboo to walk Into the Sunset where a scattering of twinkling lights lead you to a circle of light, which seems ablaze with the glow of the setting sun.
The colours of the lights & ‘sun’ cycle between all the colours of a sunset, while again the gorgeous soundscape and clever use of the surrounding natural environment bring it all together. This piece has the bonus of being a gorgeous photo opportunity too – the girls had fun with silhouettes and ‘holding the sun’.
A short walk from Into the Sunset takes you back to the entrance area and car park, where you can purchase souvenirs from the entrance pavilion. We popped back through to the welcome area to enjoy some hot chocolate, and the girls shared a sweet treat before we headed back to the car to go home.
Overall, it was an incredibly enjoyable, somewhat magical, and entirely unique experience. Each of the five art installations was breathtakingly beautiful, skilfully combining dynamic light, music, and the stunning beauty of nature & the surroundings to create an immersive and delightful experience.
It took us around an hour to complete the light trail, with each installation having a ‘cycle’ of around five minutes. With the exception of Crystal Grove, which is very much a walk through experience, each installation has seating in the form of benches and/or stools so you can sit down and soak in the aesthetics.
Light Cycles is at Stonebridge Golf Club and you can currently book tickets until 19th January. Children aged 4 & under do not require a ticket, and the ticket price varies by date & time.
Lydia says: I think that it was absolutely beautiful. All the lights were very pretty and relaxing. I had lots of fun dancing to the music and listening to the nature sounds! It was amazing how many different ways nature can be represented in light. I especially enjoyed the reflective area on the lake, as it was very pretty and the reflection made it look like the light was bouncing back and fourth. The hot chocolate and candy floss we bought at the end was also very nice! Overall, I had a very nice time walking a round the pretty luminous lights.
