Lighting a pathway - options?

[Nick_MSM]

Looking for some advice please. We are looking to illuminate a pathway in our garden, which is approx 35 meters in length and just under a meter in width. We don't want anything too bright and bling - just enough to light the path and maybe a bit of the flint wall along one side.

There are just so many options, and a massive price range I don't know what to start. Ideally want to keep costs to around £200-300 excluding fitting etc. Spike lights seem an option but most of them look a bit cheap IMO.

Any ideas please?

[8-P]

Mr Beams? https://www.mrbeams.co.uk/lights/#products

[VEX]

My god, they are ugly.

I accept they serve a purpose, but do they have to be that fugly?

[CubanPete]

Not sure if these do outdoors, but I have always really wanted one of these...

http://www.funkyfloors.com/

I will see what the OH let's me do when it comes to the kitchen. She has a good sense of humour (she wants to do a patch of wall, where the plaster has 'fallen off' to show lego bricks behind), so there is a possibility

[Flibble]

IP65 rated led strip can be had for ~£4/metre. Fitted in a bit of ali channel it would give a decent amount of light. You'd need to run cabling (12V) down the sides of the channel for further sections though, since the maximum length you can power in one shot is about 5 metres. Some channels will have sufficient space to allow the cables to be hidden inside them.
5W/metre is the sort of range you'd be looking at, so a couple of hundred watts draw with it on.

[thebraketester]

Anything added on isnt going to look 'amazing'. Have you got a pic of the path?

We have these. You can cut the height of them down too, so they are not so high and obvious.

http://uk-gardens.co.uk/UK-G-Set-of-10-Pagoda-Ligh...

[Nick_MSM]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. The path will be about double the width and gravelled to give some idea. Images below:

[Paul Drawmer]

Street lamps would look best

[thebraketester]

Ahh ok... you if you are re-doing the path perfect time to run a proper 240v system with decent lights :-)

[Paul Drawmer]

something like these..
https://www.englishlampposts.co.uk/medium-gothic-l...

It's a lovely setting with mature plants; what would you expect to see there?

Edited by Paul Drawmer on Monday 5th February 19:45

[Nick_MSM]

Thanks - yep cabling is already in place for eventual lighting. Our neighbours are the other side of the wall so unfortunately we can't really have anything too tall. I would like the path properly illuminated though - it will also be tied in to the pir on garage/drive way lighting as the path links house to drive.

[mickmcpaddy]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XK1V014/ref...

I've fitted a few of these both on a job and at home and none have leaked yet - survived 2 winters.

[Flibble]

For a lower option, a set of these: https://www.englishlampposts.co.uk/garden-lights ? Could work if the the wall would take them?
Alternatively, they do some shorter lamp posts, 1.5M high for instance.

[Nick_MSM]

mickmcpaddy said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XK1V014/ref...

I've fitted a few of these both on a job and at home and none have leaked yet - survived 2 winters.

Thanks - those look quite nice and inconspicuous. We have modern looking lights around the drive/on garage so these would tie in. How far apart did you place them? I am assuming no more than a meter apart if you want good coverage?

[frg530]

As you're re-doing the path and looking for something discrete might these do the trick? Theres the option to mix the 1 way and 2 way ones to light the wall in certain areas as well.

https://www.powerdiscount.co.uk/enlite-glite-ip67-...

[E36GUY]

That's pretty!

I would uplight the wall rather than mark the path personally.

[mickmcpaddy]

Nick_MSM said:

mickmcpaddy said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XK1V014/ref...

I've fitted a few of these both on a job and at home and none have leaked yet - survived 2 winters.

Thanks - those look quite nice and inconspicuous. We have modern looking lights around the drive/on garage so these would tie in. How far apart did you place them? I am assuming no more than a meter apart if you want good coverage?

I would say a meter or so apart, I've got 10 in my back garden and they light the bushes up in the flower beds as oppose to give practical light off, The jobs I have done with them, one is similar to the picture from amazon where some bushes are lit up along a fence and it looks really nice, the other job is on a big house with big stone gate posts and some tall trees down the drive way, two lights shine at the pillars from the front and about 10 others shine up the trees along both sides of the drive and that job looks stunning at night.

I put some warm white LED GU10s in them from screwfix, but have thought about using different coloured lamps for a nice effect. Pity I've not got any photos of the job.

[Nick_MSM]

E36GUY said:

That's pretty!

I would uplight the wall rather than mark the path personally.

Agree that the wall would like nice lit up. Not sure if that will give enough light on the path though, particularly where we have the shrub bed. I have seen spike lights with two heads so it is possible to have one facing the path and one the wall...

[Simpo Two]

E36GUY said:

I would uplight the wall rather than mark the path personally.

Suspect he wants to light the path so he can negotiate it safely in the dark... not fall over something in the while admiring the wall...

[Nick_MSM]

Simpo Two said:

Suspect he wants to light the path so he can negotiate it safely in the dark... not fall over something in the while admiring the wall...

I did manage to walk into a flower bed and trip over a sculpture the other night