Twycross Zoo, Warwickshire
Twycross Zoo, prepare to queue! #AccidentalPoet
Now, in fairness, it was the first sunny Saturday of the year, the last Saturday of the Easter Holidays and all adult tickets were half price on this particular day. But we were told that it was one of the first ever days the zoo car park became a “one in, one out” entry situation.
The first highlight for me was to only have a 12 minute drive there (from staying HERE in Polesworth) so, unlike other families who must have travelled for hours before queuing for 40 minutes at the entrance to the car park, we hadn’t yet made it through an entire Genesis album. Many parents were seen running 500 yards to the nearest loo, with their children precariously crossing their legs behind them, and I did not envy that one bit.
The second highlight was when a rather good looking, female parking attendant said to my husband “Hello. You look well equipped. Do you mind parking over on the grass verge?”. Of course she was referring to the 4 x 4, but I tend to leave that part out of the story.
Once inside, the zoo is very well laid out and a handy map is distributed to all guests upon arrival. After buying your tickets, you’re met by many different food options, from burgers to doughnuts and ice cream (the first, eagerly purchased by Mr. Nunn, the latter by Mrs.)
There is also a great range of animals at this zoo, from baby orangutans to elephants, flamingoes, penguins and a bird house where you can hand-feed exotic birds from small pots of nectar. Butterflies land on your face in the butterfly sauna, where I almost passed out (from heat, rather than excitement), and we got to see the new Chimpanzee enclosure on the very first day it opened.
A wonderful day out.
Rick’s highlight: Finally managing to capture the Legendary Ibis (Metal Gear Solid reference which I gave a sarcastic, wide-eyed, slow nod to)…
Spadge’s highlight: Cinnamon doughnuts. But also watching an elephant play with a ball, looking surprisingly similar to a large, slow puppy.
Nunn tips:
- No matter how warm it is, wear shoes that cover your feet – whatever the paths are covered in, it becomes slush that sticks to your feet and beyond.
- Talk to the RSPB man in reception, if he’s there. He’s legit lovely and thought I was 17.
- We didn’t personally have this problem (proud dog parents ONLY), but some of the paths weren’t overly suitable for pushchairs and prams, and they can’t be taken into the bird house.
- If it’s a day trip, leave earlier than planned to account for queueing traffic. There were queues basically all day.
- Book zoo entry, activities and animal feeding in advance! You get to “fast track” the queues, which is definitely worth doing.
Head over to the Twycross Zoo website for all the information and advanced bookings you could ever want.
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