Recommended Zoos / Wildlife Parks

Cobra said:
Watch it you, or you are likley to end up with another user title.....
Oh wait a minute :p


Whipsnade, nope, stay away, nothing to see here, no Lynx kitts,
no cheetah cubs.
Nothing of interests / jedi mind trick :p

On the down side its bloody expensive, 20 quid for an adult
and 20 quid to get the car in.
The car park over the road is 4 quid, and there is a free bus around the park, its walkable but not really with smaller children.
And don't forget the TP meet in Sept ;)

Batsford falconry center is good obviously as the name suggests,
they do regular displays through the day, and you can get quite close to some
of the birds (well you used to anyway, not been for a couple of years)
Well worth the 8 quid to get in IMO
And there is an arboretum right next door should you feel so inclined.

As already said, Cotswold's wildlife park, well worth a visit. 14 quid for adults, car park is free (well it was last year)

Woburn Safari park, also worth a visit, but a good portion is drive through
and the rangers get the arse, if you open your windows in the "drive through" enclosures :D (So don't get caught Eh? ;))
I think its about 20 quid each, but the car goes free. :D
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little edit here the car park over the road is now free yes FREE well done whipsnade :) (went there this sunday)
 
dinorock said:
little edit here the car park over the road is now free yes FREE well done whipsnade :) (went there this sunday)
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Thanks Mike, I'd forgotten
about that I'll update my post :thumbs:
 
First of all thanks to the mods making this thread easy to find :). The second thing is thatl I have noticed that if you cannot drive then you can be extremely limited for Zoos & Wildlife parks. The craziest thing that I have found today is that despite living in Norwich, getting to the likes of Banham Zoo & Thrigby Hall are a right pain in the developing tank. To get to Thrigby Hall, you either have to get a Bus / Train to Acle or Yarmouth & then a bus service to Thrigby Hall, now the bus service in question is practically non existent bar a couple of services a day. Banham on the other hand requires a train to Attleborough & then a cab to the zoo, which is around £15 each way, so can work out quite expensive, by the time you have paid the travel to Attleborough & of course the entrance fee to the park. So now I am left with a limited number of choices which are accessible by public transport, those are :

Linton (Train to Cambridge then Bus)
Shepreth (Train to Cambridge & Shepreth)
Africa Alive (Train to Lowestoft then a long bus journey)
Colchester (Train to Colchester then bus)

I have been to Africa Alive once before with just my mobile phone to take pictures, so taking a DSLR to any of the parks would be a totally new experience. I haven't been to any of the parks but am quite tempted by Colchester, which is slightly more expensive than the others, but seems to offer a lot more than the others, or have I got that wrong ?.
 
Its been a long time since I went to Colchester,
yes its not a bad zoo at all from what I remember. :)

But TBH if Banham is your local one, then give it a go :thumbs:
(albeit a PITA to get to.)

Shepreth apparently isn't that large, and not really a full day's worth.
However, its one I've yet to check out though.

So in terms of "value for money" out of the ones you listed.
I'd say Colchester.

Have you also considered Hammerton?
Its not really that photography friendly but not a bad out.
 
been around a few zoos and I recon Chester zoo is up there with the best of them
 
Cobra said:
Its been a long time since I went to Colchester,
yes its not a bad zoo at all from what I remember. :)

But TBH if Banham is your local one, then give it a go (y)
(albeit a PITA to get to.)

Shepreth apparently isn't that large, and not really a full day's worth.
However, its one I've yet to check out though.

So in terms of "value for money" out of the ones you listed.
I'd say Colchester.

Have you also considered Hammerton?
Its not really that photography friendly but not a bad out.
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Banham is only 23 miles from where I live, but am looking at a good £60 for Traveling & Entrance, it wouldn't be so bad if there were coach companies that done a day excursion, but none of my local ones do as it is close, so may see if any national ones do it with local pick up points. Colchester does seem the best value and is only just over 1hr away by public transport from where I live, so am def considering that one at the top of my list, before I indulge in the Cambridge ones. I had considered Hammerton, but it does look awkward to get to.



realspeed said:
been around a few zoos and I recon Chester zoo is up there with the best of them
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I have heard a lot of good reports about Chester Zoo, maybe next time I am in Merseyside for a few days, I will have to check it out. :)
 
Jwar1976 said:
I haven't been to any of the parks but am quite tempted by Colchester, which is slightly more expensive than the others, but seems to offer a lot more than the others, or have I got that wrong ?.
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Personally, I'd put Colchester up the top with Chester and Whipsnade for the bigger zoos; if you can see yourself making several visits in the year, then the membership is worth it, especially as they include admission to other places - Colchester and Chester are in a scheme with several other parks, whereas Whipsnade gets you into London Zoo.
 
new2me said:
Personally, I'd put Colchester up the top with Chester and Whipsnade for the bigger zoos; if you can see yourself making several visits in the year, then the membership is worth it, especially as they include admission to other places - Colchester and Chester are in a scheme with several other parks, whereas Whipsnade gets you into London Zoo.
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I know that Africa Alive & Banham are in cahoot with each other so to speak and so 1 pass covers both parks. I see on the Colchester Zoo website it states that the pass can be used at (Belfast, Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh, Highland Wildlife Park, Rotterdam, Twycross, Chester (1 visit only per year), Marwell Wildlife (1 visit only per year), Newquay (1 visit only per year), Living Coasts (1 visit only per year) and Paignton (1 visit only per year). So yes the season passes at around £50 for the year are of really good value.
 
Chester is my favourite by far, lots of animals, good shooting and generally a nice Zoo.

Doncaster is also very good, but you need a decent zoom lens.

Blackpool I went to recently and i thought that was good, would definetly go again (yes I went in the petting zoo and loved it)



Twycross I'd Avoid, The care of their animals are terrible, and unless you want a background of walls covered in faeces that's not any good, metal bars and old style cages everywhere, just terrible.

Knowsley safari i did not rate, Lions are usually good, but fed up of the ranger shouting shut your window, every time I lowered it a couple of inches to prod my lens through, bleeding hot as hell in summer with no windows allowed down in your car.

Turbary Woods Bird Sanctuary in Preston, I'd never go to again, you can get good close up and action shots of the birds.... but again with the depressingly small and dirty enclosures, and dirty depressed animals, also be prepared to have to pay £5 to get in, then be charged another £5 to be able to use your camera.
 
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gothgirl said:


Twycross I'd Avoid, The care of their animals are terrible, and unless you want a background of walls covered in faeces that's not any good, metal bars and old style cages everywhere, just terrible. .
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That's a bit of a shame :(
I've not been there in ages (years) but it was never like that :(

Never had any issues shooting through bars or anything else there though TBH
 
Cobra said:
That's a bit of a shame :(
I've not been there in ages (years) but it was never like that :(

Never had any issues shooting through bars or anything else there though TBH
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@Cobra it's been appauling there as many years as I can remember, the woman that used to run it was a nutter, used to raise baby chimps in the house and dress them up as babies, then when they got a couple of years old and in their adolescence phase, out of the house they'd go and into a cage, that's why there used to be so many cages with one or two moneys in , as they couldn't live in groups as they had no social skills as they'd been reared in the house.
See Here

The monkeys are all in very small cages,
View attachment 11708
most enclosures covered in dirt, crap and rubbish.

View attachment 11709
Caught an otter trying to eat a plastic bottle cap, their enclosure was full of rubbish
View attachment 11710
the penguins water was filthy and green, not filtered properly obviously and the whole area smelt like gone off fish so wasn't very crowded, just to name a few things....
View attachment 11711
Excuse the crap photo quality, these are off my rejects pile and have had no PP for that reason.
 
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gothgirl said:
@Cobra it's been appauling there as many years as I can remember, the woman that used to run it was a nutter, used to raise baby chimps in the house and dress them up as babies, then when they got a couple of years old and in their adolescence phase, out of the house they'd go and into a cage, that's why there used to be so many cages with one or two moneys in , as they couldn't live in groups as they had no social skills as they'd been reared in the house.
See Here

The monkeys are all in very small cages,
View attachment 11708
most enclosures covered in dirt, crap and rubbish.

View attachment 11709
Caught an otter trying to eat a plastic bottle cap, their enclosure was full of rubbish
View attachment 11710
the penguins water was filthy and green, not filtered properly obviously and the whole area smelt like gone off fish so wasn't very crowded, just to name a few things....
View attachment 11711
Excuse the crap photo quality, these are off my rejects pile and have had no PP for that reason.
Click to expand...


This is really sad to see, the animals should be treated better. I know that some zoos add things like fake rocks to each section, so that the animal feels more at home but this is just appalling. :(
 
Cobra said:
That's a bit of a shame :(
I've not been there in ages (years) but it was never like that :(

Never had any issues shooting through bars or anything else there though TBH
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I thought you were there with Ingrid last year or the start of this year ... after a morning at Whipsnade?

Anyway, I'm personally not a fan of Twycross, but I trust they are doing good work behind the scenes ... it doesn't matter what zoo I visit, there is always someone around to criticise the place. I was recently looking through comments on various zoo facebooks and Twycross did get a bit of stick from visitors that claim it is in decline.


Anyway, again, I was just wondering what other newborns were around!
Ring Tailed Lemurs at Whipsnade are the best thing I've seen for a while and they have had a couple of fresh litters of the cute Wild Boars too!

Colchester has notices around the cheetah area saying that their female is due to drop some babies off any day too!
 
new2me said:
I thought you were there with Ingrid last year or the start of this year ... after a morning at Whipsnade?
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You'll have to forgive him Neil, it's his age, he forgets where he has been, even if it was to get snow leopard cubs pics. and actually we were there the day before, bit of a trek for half a day ;)
 
Gremlin said:

You'll have to forgive him Neil, it's his age, he forgets where he has been, even if it was to get snow leopard cubs pics. and actually we were there the day before, bit of a trek for half a day ;)
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How the hell am I supposed to remember that?
That was ages ago :p
 
Cobra said:
How the hell am I supposed to remember that?
That was ages ago :p
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Nice to know your days out with me are that memorable :(
 
Africa Alive membership gets you Banham as well. I live ten minutes from africa Alive so we're season ticket holders.

Thrigby is tiny but brilliant. Love it to bits, and any zoo that lets you and the kids go on an aerial beam walk over the tiger enclosure gets the thumbs up in my book. And no, I'm not kidding!
 
danbroad said:
Africa Alive membership gets you Banham as well. I live ten minutes from africa Alive so we're season ticket holders.

Thrigby is tiny but brilliant. Love it to bits, and any zoo that lets you and the kids go on an aerial beam walk over the tiger enclosure gets the thumbs up in my book. And no, I'm not kidding!
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Thanks for that information on Thrigby Dan :). I managed to get my season pass at Banham Zoo the other day, so will def be going to Africa Alive in the next couple of weeks, I have been there before, but not since I have had a half decent camera. I will also get to Thrigby at some point in the near future as well.
 
Crocky said:
The photography days at WHF are brilliant. They have to be pre booked and are about £125, but well worth it.
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Thanks, I'll definitely be treating myself to one of these!
 
If you ever go to Jersey (Channel Islands) be sure to pay a visit to Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (www.durrell.org) - smashing place, and great work they do too.

One local to me is Liberty's Owl, Raptor and Reptile Falconry Centre. They have a lot of renovation going on at the moment, but still fully open. They also run photography workshops on site, in a studio and in the New Forest.
 
Just thought i'd throw a list of zoo sizes together to give people an idea of how others compare to places they've been.
Figures taken from quick google search, in hectares, so may not be entirely accurate
I haven't included safaris and there are plenty of other places I haven't added or heard of as yet.

Port Lympne 243
whipsnade 240
yorkshire wildlife park 110
Highland Wildlife Park 105
cotswolds wildlife park 84
Colchester 60
Marwell 57
Chester 45
Howletts 36
Edinburgh 33
Paignton 32
Dartmoor 30
British Wildlife Centre 25
Dublin 24
Belfast 22
Banham 20
Dudley 16
London 15
hamerton 15
Welsh Mountain Zoo 15
Blackpool 13
Dartmoor 12
durrell wildlife park 10
twycross 10
Paradise Park - Cornwall 7
South Lakes 7
Bristol 5
linton 5
shepreth 3.5


Paradise Wildlife Park - Herts
isle of wight
Rare Species Conservation Centre
Woodside Wildlife and Falconry Park

Ooh, just found a list with details
 
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just want to say as above Yorkshire wildlife park is a good visit been a couple of times and impressed both times, and now they have polar bears:agree:
 
I know it's not really a zoo, but the cats at WHF in Kent (http://www.whf.org.uk/) is really worth the experience. I know it's a private collection and that it's expensive, but some of the images you can get there are really good, and you get quite close to the animals. I did a trip with the guys on here, and also paid for my wife (and I) to go on a photo day for her Birthday.


IIMG_4381 1024 by Steve Jelly, on Flickr

Also, Bristol zoo isn't bad. A bit small but they have some very open exhibits that allow you to get some good shots.
 
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spudhead said:
just want to say as above Yorkshire wildlife park is a good visit been a couple of times and impressed both times, and now they have polar bears:agree:
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I think three new tiger cubs have just been born there too

Edit: Yes, there's a video of the births on their website
 
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Anyone been to Prague zoo ?
I've been told that it's really good
Thinking of going will have to be spring next year tho haven't got any more spare holidays left this year
 
not zoo's but great places to get shots of wildlife. in the south/ southeast region
London wetlands centre.. amazing place for birds and nature lovers for shooting.
https://www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/london/

eagle heights... amazing place where they have cheetah runs ( cheetah runs down a grass hill and you stand to the side and catch some stunning shots. )
The cheetah is on a zip wire and you are about 2m away as it runs past chasing the food being pulled down the hill on a wire.

http://www.eagleheights.co.uk/


think it may have been mentioned..
British Wildlife centre in Surrey
great place for smaller wildlife / mammals ( voles, otters, wildcats, weasels, pinemartins , mice as well as birds of prey and a wide range of deer )
again special photography days where you can get really up close and personal
http://www.britishwildlifecentre.co.uk/
 
I'm a regular at WWT in Barnes, always something to see there.
 
Cant believe anyone has mentioned the south lakes one

Its been a few years since Ive been, changed the name too, but it was a great day out. Much better than Doncaster IMO. Lots of walkthrough areas especially the lemurs. Lots of conservation work too with the big cats, especially the Sumatran tigers. Obviously not a walk through area :)

RingTailedLemurs by Steve Vickers, on Flickr

These two had just nicked the ice-cream from a young child. Excuse the quality, it was taken a few years ago on my Fuji 602
 
Yup, both are good places to visit for photography. The Cat place isn't ideal for the Cats themselves but many have nowhere else to go and the staff seem to care. They do look healthy on the whole. The Cats I mean!

Faldrax said:
The Hawk Conservancy trust, near Andover. Wide range of Hawks, Owls and Vultures!

http://www.hawk-conservancy.org/index.asp

Also, The Cat survival Trust, Welwyn - not open to the public but there are a number of photo days organised by various photographers through the year. As it is a private collection (charity), the enclosures are single mesh, so you can get very close. Snow leopards, Amur Leopards, Jaguar, and others.

http://www.catsurvivaltrust.org/
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I figured it was about time I contributed to this thread - my other half and I have visited a lot of the UK zoos so hopefully have some helpful insights! I tend to agree that they all have positives / negatives so here are some general thoughts... both on photography and random visitor info.


What I'd consider 'bigger' zoos:


Chester:

Pros - it's massive with a huge variety of animal and a lot of the enclosures have big viewing windows, no windows or pretty good backdrops. I have only been to Islands prior to the tigers and orangs moving in but it looked very promising. Spectacled bear often sits in a tree.

Cons - it's massive. If you are only there for a day then you have to work quite hard to get round and be selective about which enclosures you may want to go back to if you've not seen someone.



Whipsnade:

Pros - Lovely natural looking enclosures and lots of opportunities to avoid shooting through glass. Probably my favourite zoo although it is our local one so I might be a bit biased! Also has a great restaurant if you're not taking a pack-up. They also walk their elephants regularly and have a good variety of birds in the show.

Cons - Expensive if you're not a member (we are), quite spread out if you're not taking a car in although there are buses round too. The last few times we've just walked it which has been fine - but as we go so often we're quite willing to miss some enclosures.



Colchester:

Pros - I'd class this as a 'big' zoo but it is more compact than the above two. Membership (which we have) gets you into loads of other zoos. Some of them say one visit only but I've never known any of them to check this in any way - they just look at the card and let you in. Great breakfast at Penguinis restaurant.

Cons - Not always the best backdrops / vanatage points. Some enclosures are great - others not so much. Difficult conditions at the bird show - it's a little arena with buildings in the background.



Port Lympne:

Pros - If the weather is nice and the animals obliging - you can get some lovely shots on the safari. One particular gorilla enclosure (gorilla kingdom) also offers great opportunities. Walking bit of the park is much better than the safari with some open top enclosures and a good variety of cats to see. Membership is good value if you're visiting Howletts too.

Cons - the bloody safari ride. If the weather is bad then forget it. Really bumpy. Lots of animals can only be seen on the safari - really limits your options. I really don't like the safari! Walking section is hard work and some bits not very accessible - we went shortly after I finished chemo and I really struggled!



Howletts:

Pros - As above - membership is good value. Tiger / leopard / lion / wolf / Dhole / elephant / Monkey enclosures mostly have good vantage points / glass to shoot through.

Cons - lots of enclosures at the bottom of the park are dark and set back from the path - with lots of wire. Gorilla enclosures not good for photography - Port Lympne is better in this respect.



Yorkshire Wildlife Park:

Pros - lovely big natural looking enclosures and they obviously have a standout species with Polar Bears.

Cons - being a southerner the only one I can think of is location. If this was closer I would be a regular visitor.



Marwell:

Pros - recently improved by Wild Explorers and a newish aviary bit. Cheetahs have one of the better open top enclosures but they tend to stick to the edges like cats are want to do.

Cons - a shadow of its former self for a regular visitor. Less variety than other zoos and some massively frustrating enclosures for photography. Lots of glare / crap backgrounds. Discovery centre / reptile bit rather disappointing. No shows of any kind.



Edinburgh:

Pros - standout species with Panda, Koala and King Penguin (who sometimes come out for a walk around the lawn). It is not open yet but the new tiger enclosure looks very promising. Other enclosures variable - some open top with good vantage points and backgrounds.

Cons - Lost some of its former variety. Hard work to get round as is on a big ole hill. You're likely to spend a lot of time going back and forth trying to see the pandas!



Paignton:

Pros - loads of variety but not overwhelmingly big! Orang and Gorilla sections would be standouts with nice natural backgrounds.

Cons - Some great attractions (like crocodile swamp) but many are hopeless for photography. Lion and Tiger opportunities are limited and / or through questionable glass.



London:

Pros - Two of the most beautiful tigers you'll ever meet... and they produce little tigers quite often! Excellent reptile house. Really nice penguin exhibit where you can easily get underwater shots.

Cons - Expensive if not a member. Actually quite small compared to the other zoos in this category.




What I'd consider the 'medium' sized category:



Bristol Zoo:

Pros - Gorilla Island, twilight world and the bugs exhibit. Loads of variety but really compact. Opens early (9am) which means you have a window of calm before the hoards arrive.

Cons - Questionable backgrounds on a lot of exhibits. Charge for parking.



Cotswold Wildlife Park:

Pros - outstanding reptile / discovery centre. Medium sized so easy to get round twice - means you have a good chance of seeing everything. Nice little walled garden section (which is great for kids if you have them in tow) and great lemur walkthrough with Sifaka as the standout species for me. It is a very relaxing park to visit.

Cons - some very dodgy glass for lions and leopards and very dark enclosures for the wolves and wolverines. Only have bird shows on bank holiday / special weekends.



Dartmoor:

Pros - several moated enclosures (notably the jag / cheetah although there is no resident cheetah right now) and the bear enclosure offers very natural backgrounds. Nothing to do with photography but they have a great 'hands on' discovery bit in a room adjacent to the canteen bit.

Cons - Relatively small and what I would call a work in progress. Old-school wooden and wire exhibits are common.



Blackpool:

Pros - Another medium sized zoo with a good variety. Fantastic sealion pool. Not too big so revisits to animals you've missed are possible. Lovely gorilla island with natural backgrounds. We've only been once but I really enjoyed Blackpool.

Cons - I don't recall a reptile house... Elephant house is not great although I believe it is due to renovated.



Wingham:

Pros - smaller (nearly made it into the 'small' category) but a lot of variety. Excellent reptile section.

Cons - some smaller enclosures and backgrounds are mixed. I enjoy visiting Wingham but it would not be top of my lift photography wise... unless I am in a reptilian mood.



Banham:

Pros - excellent bird show where they fly lot of the birds directly towards you with a nice background behind them. This is rare in a non-falconry centre establishment!

Cons - I'm struggling to think of any beyond the usual mixed quality (in terms of photography) of backgrounds / glass / wire that most of these medium sized zoos have. It is not the worst in this respect by any means though.



Dudley:

Pros - It has a castle which adds a bit of interest - especially as they do the bird show in this area!

Cons - Glass... Wire... Buildings... Backgrounds almost everywhere are a challenge. Charge for parking.



Twycross:

Pros - Massive selection of primates with Bonobos as the standout species for me.

Cons - Heavy on the primates means lack of variety elsewhere. Some enclosures are not good - most notably the chimps which is a lot of red brickwork. They are battling against history in this respect and recent developments are much better.



Monkey World:

Pros - Some enclosures are really natural - most notably some of the gibbon ones. You'll be supporting their work...

Cons - Other enclosures (orang nursery for instance) are very challenging. Obviously limited to primates.



Exmoor:

I'm not sure I should comment really as the one time we've been the weather was AWFUL. Other than that I just recall a standard mix of glass, wire and somewhat dodgy backgrounds.



Africa Alive:
Again - I am basing this one visit some years ago so things may have changed - but I remember not loving it. I think the issue at the time was it was clearly 'new' which was evident in a lack of character for the park generally - and a lack of maturity in tems of foliage / backgrounds for photography.



Chessington:
Pros - cheaper to go out of theme park season and there is a small aquarium.
Cons - some animals can only be seen well from one of the rides. It's in a theme park which depending on your outlook could be a problem.



Newquay Zoo:
Pros - Only place I've seen Civits moving - but you'll still struggle to photograph them. Some Monkey enclosures are open top.
Cons - wire / glass etc. The usual issues. Charge you for parking.



Wildlife Heritage Foundation:
Not technically a zoo... we've only been on the public opening day but if you're willing to pay for a photo day then I hear it is epic. Public day was fine - lots of cats and enclosures not bad for photography. Only place you'll see a jungle cat in the UK I believe.



The 'small' category:



I'm not doing proper pros and cons for these as I'd be saying the same for all of them - they are small and the enclosures are as you'd expect. Paradise and Hammerton have a good selection of cats and thrigby is a bit of a hidden gem. Linton is possibly the only place on this list I would avoid going to again. Beale Park is small but quite good for birds. Other comments if I have any:


Paradise - good variety for a small place... beware of the kiddy play areas. Cheetah and snow leopard enclosures are best for photography.

Linton

Hammerton - good selection of cats, only place where you'll see Malayan Tigers (currently). Nearly made it into medium category and would definitely the pick of the 'smalls'.

Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens - hidden gem - massive crocs and a unique tiger viewing experience! 'Cat Cloisters' good for smaller cats.

Beale Park - more of a hybrid between a kids farm park and a small zoo.

Isle of Wight Zoo - mainly big cats and lemurs. Tiger called Zia is a big character - she likes to stalk the gardeners / visitors, is very pretty and will quite often pose in a helpful fashion!

Amazon World Zoo Park - worth teaming with another attraction.

Beaver Water World - not a lot to see here and even less to photograph.

Shaldon Zoo - hopeless for photography but they have some interesting animals and it is worth going if you're at Paignton / Living Coasts / Dartmoor. Parking is charged.

Birdworld - some walkthrough areas but you'll be mainly shooting through wire

The Living Rainforest - some interesting reptiles and butterflies but photo ops are limited nd highly dependent on the time of year. Free return visits for a year.



The 'British Wildlife' category:


British Wildlife Centre:

Pros - Beautifully naturalistic and lots of light in the enclosures (big contrast to wildwood which is... well, in a wood). Red squirrel walkthrough offers opportunities you don't get elsewhere. Lovely indoor barn bit for the inevitable rain situation...

Cons - obviously limited to British wildlife but what they do, they do very well.



Wildwood:

Pros - although dark, the wooded background is very natural. New enclosure for their rescue bears does have wire but it is easy to shoot through. They have beavers! Good to team with Wingham.

Cons - just how dark it can be, but this is not something that would stop me visiting. I actually love Wildwood even with its photography challenges.



New Forest Wildlife Centre:

Pros - large selection of otter species and a lovely big wolf wood area. If the wolves are in the right section it offers some great photo opportunities. This is good to team with Marwell.

Cons - like Wildwood, bits of it are very dark. BWC's indoor barn is much better.



Living Coasts:

This is between a zoo and a sealife centre and is nice to go to for something a bit different.





I'll comment on safari parks / falconry centres on another day!
 
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...and the short version of the above is that these would be my top five recommendations:

Whipsnade
Chester
Yorkshire Wildlife Park
Blackpool
British Wildlife Centre or Wildwood - I can't pick!
 
I'd say that was a pretty fair assessment @Daysleeper40
Thanks for taking the time Fi :thumbs:
 
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