THE trees at Westonbirt Arboretum have been cast in a magical light in the run-up to Christmas.

The Enchanted Wood is an illuminated one-mile trail through the Old Arboretums that is on show every

Friday, Saturday and Sunday night until December 21.

More than 1,000 lights are used to

illuminate trees in varying colours from blue to red, which will reveal to visitors an aspect of magic and mystery they may have not seen before.

One visitor Faye Johnson, 43, of Bath, said: "It is beautiful. The trees look great lit up in different colours. It makes you look at things like the bark more closely than you did before. It

really does cast the trees in a different light."

It took lighting experts six months to design the trail and another two weeks to set up the lights.

Westonbirt's chief superintendent Phil Morton said: "The trees will be lit in a thousand different ways using every colour in the spectrum.

"The texture of the bark and the bare contorted limbs of the trees make a magnificent display."

After the blaze of reds and oranges that mark the changing of seasons during autumn have faded, the Enchanted Wood's dramatic display of light attracts thousands of visitors each year.

Events manager Matthew Haynes said: "It is about bringing the trees back to life. This year we have concentrated on focusing the lights more on the tree rather than the larger areas we lit last year."

Westonbirt was one of the first arboretums in the country to attempt the ambitious light show which has now been copied by other collections.

David Clarke, 35, had travelled from Gloucester. He said: "It is absolutely fantastic. We love visiting the arboretum. We came for the changing of the colour and the Enchanted Wood is excellent."

Visitor numbers were hit by poor weather over the opening weekend two weeks ago and Mr Haynes said numbers were now average compared with previous years. The arboretum expects around 30,000 people to have walked the trail by the time it closes.

Entrance to the Enchanted Wood is from 5pm until 7pm, with lights out at 8pm, and costs £5 for adults, concessions £4 and children £1.