I had redeemed £10 of Tesco Clubcard points for £40 of Days Out vouchers, in the hope of enjoying some 'free' family days out. For hubby, one child, and one concession rate adult (disabled), it came to £29.85, as our youngest, Charlie, was free. We used £30 of Days Out vouchers, covering the admission cost. It was fortunate we were using them, as all phone lines at the zoo were down meaning they 'couldn't' process card payments. Like most people I don't carry a lot of cash and this would have been a problem. I used to work in hotel management and it was normal to keep an old style manual swipe machine and sales vouchers to allow us to accept card payments in such circumstances.
The zoo was easy to find, the postcode worked with the sat nav, and once we got close there were plenty of signs. There is a small car park at the entrance with a few marked disabled bays.
We noticed when we arrived that they had 3 or 4 mobility scooters available to hire for £5 plus a refundable deposit. I hadn't taken my electric wheelchair on holiday as it fills the car boot, so was using crutches that day. I asked at the entrance how hilly the zoo is and whether there were many benches so I could stop and rest. We were told there was only a gentle incline, and plenty of seating so decided to plod on. Evidently my idea of a gentle incline differs from the staffs as the zoo proved to be quite hilly and steep in places. Not all areas had wheelchair accessible paths, and although these were clearly signed as being unsuitable avoiding them would mean missing sections of the zoo.
The seating was a different story. Most areas had plenty of seating, often in small covered areas which would provide excellent shelter on a rainy day. The down side of these shelters was the flies. For some reason the zoo was full of flies, and the sheltered areas in particular were badly infested, making them unpleasant places to stop and rest. I've not seen so many flies in any other zoo or animal park, and can't see any obvious reason for them. I guess it could be the amount of plants, as it was a very green park with plenty of well established bushes and trees.
Some areas were distinctly lacking in seating, in particular the otter enclosure.
The zoo did however have many positives. The animals all seemed content and well cared for, with stimulating environments. One big difference to previous zoos we have visited was how close you are to the animals. Many of the enclosures are only fenced to half height, with no restriction on how close to them the public can get. This was evident when we came to a large pond, home to ducks and a couple of very friendly penguins. Should anyone want to, you could easily reach over the fence or put fingers through, which meant we had to be extra vigilant with our 2 year old, Charlie. The penguin seemed to think we may have been planning to feed him as he followed us along the fence line looking very excited!
The zoo is home to a wide variety of birds and wild cats in particular, with some birds roaming free around the park. We saw a hen with her baby chick walking around, which was very cute, but gave my eldest (Alex, 11) a surprise when he unintentionally got too close and faced the wrath of a protective mother hen! In other areas there were roaming peacocks and hens, who we were fortunate to see displaying their magnificent tail feathers.
We enjoyed some of the keepers talks and feeding sessions, it was obvious how dedicated the keepers are and how much they enjoy their jobs. There was a full schedule including interactive sessions, where you could hold insects and snakes, or go into an enclosure of tame wallabies. All of these were included in the entrance fee.
We had lunch in the zoo cafe, scraping together enough cash to pay for it as the phone lines were still down. The food was decent, we all had a hot meal for just under £20.00. The cafe area was pleasant, clean and with ample seating.
Overall, as a family enjoyed the outing, and would recommend it to others. Alex particularly enjoyed seeing the 'Exmoor Beast' (a majestic black leopard) and Charlie enjoyed the wallabies. There is room for improvement with accessibility, but it is atleast making an effort and not just paying lip service.
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