Outdoor decorations that don’t need an electric socket?

[TheLastStarfighter]

Any recommendations for outdoor decorations that don’t need an electric socket?

Not only is there no outdoor socket, but there is a shared driveway between us and the bit of garden we’d like to decorate.

No streetlights here either, so I was thinking solar-charged or led battery powered with a timer?

Maybe something like this? But not sure if it would work without another light source. And would probably need several

www.coxandcox.co.uk/faux-rattan-light-up-hare/

We run a lead from our garage into the front garden. I've seen other people running a lead or of a window.
I don't think many people have an outside socket.

We can’t do it from the garage because the garage isn’t near the house. I think having a window open would get too cold.

Solar powered lights

We have our window open just enough for the cable. As it's behind the curtains it doesn't affect the temperature too much.

Leds with timer, I use the every year, solar powered is to unreliable.

For the part of my garden the cables can't reach I use battery powered lights on a timer and they look great

Last year I bought string outdoor lights from b and q that have batteries. I recall there being choice of styles and colours

Battery powered LED fairy lights work surprisingly well - just cheap ones from Home Bargains type places .

I have had solar ones up all summer, so interested to see how well they work now the days are shorter.

I’m going to order some battery LED ones then, and see how they go. I don’t think we’d get enough sun for solar because we’re north facing.

We've got outdoor battery powered fairy lights - the battery casing has a rubber seal.
I've got a set from John Lewis and more from Morrison's and the range - all have a simple timer element and usually one set of batteries lasts the season.
The ones on the more exposed hedge I put the battery box in an additional plastic bag as a few years ago water got in but not been a problem since.

They are big sets and do about 20m of hedge down our driveway as well as a set in each of the trees.

It might be cheaper than you think to get an outdoor socket fitted, so worth bearing that in mind..

We had an outdoor socket fitted a few weeks ago. We paid £40 and a cup of tea to our sparky neighbour (socket was £10 or £15 then labour was £25 or £30), only took him 15 mins or so to fit. It's fitted on the outside wall directly behind one we have inside. I got it for the lawnmower but now thinking we should get another for Christmas lights! We didn't need an RCD socket as we have an RCD on the consumer unit - would be more if we needed an RCD socket.

Battery timer lights are fantastic. I decorate 2 conifers either side of our front door from 1 December to 6 January every year. Use wilko orange batteries and they last the entire time. Lights are from Wilko too. Had these current lights about 5 years.

We run two cables in one through the bedroom window and one through the front door. The cables are really thin. Door and window close normally on them
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I’m really pleasantly surprised to hear the battery timer lights last. I’ve had some indoor ones, and had to change the batteries every 3 days. Different sets from different places.

I think I will try from the specific places mentioned - Wilco, John Lewis and The Range. If they work I could decorate the trees and the fence - it would be great 😁

Definitely can’t get an outside socket. We have 4ft thick stone walls and would need a specialist drilling team to get through them for a cable.

Ikea used to do great ones which were solar powered but they are discontinued. Depending on the amount of sun you get these are cheap and work well. Otherwise battery powered LEDs

I've got solar lights, they're great in summer, but in winter only work on sunny days. After reading this thread I might swap them for battery powered ones.