Last week we enjoyed a lovely week away in the Cotswold’s. There were a few rainy days (such is life when you have a stay-cation) but there were also plenty of sunny ones too, and one of those lovely sunny days were spent in awe of some of natures finest animals and plants at Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens. It was such a fantastic day out and more than deserves it’s own blog post to remember!
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens is home to an array of mammals (and small mammals), birds, reptiles and amphibians, and amazing plants too. It is located 2 miles south of Burford, Oxfordshire – midway between Oxford and Cheltenham. We were staying near Cirencester, so it was only a 35 min drive to the Wildlife park which took us through some of the beautiful Cotswold’s countryside.
We bought our tickets online and by doing so saved about a fiver (plus ensured we had a space) which really is the cost of an ice cream for the kids. It cost a total of £65 for our family, but was an amazing day out which wow’d us all and was every bit as lovely as we anticipated. It was pretty busy (as expected – it’s the Summer Hols) but at the same time, it didn’t feel overcrowded and people didn’t really get in each others way! We took Oscar in the pram and found everything pushchair friendly and easily accessible and were happy to see plenty of toilets, picnic areas and refreshment stands (should they be needed).
What we loved
I think it’s safe to say we all loved everything about it. It was beautiful, well kept and clean. There were amazing animals, birds and plants that both entertained and wow’d us all. It also has a lovely play area for the kids to enjoy too and I cannot say enough how peaceful and beautiful it is to wander and explore. It obviously helped that the sun was shining, but the setting and animals were wonderful and more than enough to see and do to fill an entire day! There were plenty of picnic areas too to stop for lunch, or little cafe’s and snack bars dotted around too if you would prefer.
We ate our picnic lunch next to the giraffes and it was such a cool experience to be sat there with our picnic and watching them do their thing. We all loved the Giraffes – they were fun to watch, as were the Camels, Rhino’s, Giant Turtles, Lions and Wolves. I loved seeing the tropical plants and cactus garden too… the meerkats and amazing birds. It was great to just have an amazing day with our kiddos (they were all in excited moods and good spirits!). Nath liked the Rhino’s the best and agrees it was one of the best days out too and seeing a baby Rhino was just marvellous!
And the kids….
Alice: “I just loved everything!”
Megs: “I enjoyed it a lot and seeing the animals were amazing – I loved it so much!”
Ethan: “It was one of the best days out – I loved all the animals, especially the Rhino’s, giraffes, sloth and the little rabbits and funny chicken!”
What we didn’t Like
There wasn’t much we didn’t like about the wildlife park and garden, but if I had to choose one, it would just be that the line for the little train was super long and as we left it til the end of the day, we didn’t have an opportunity to go on it (cue tears and wailing from the children!) so of course that was a little disappointing. But, if you are visiting or if we were to go again, we would just be a little more organised and go to the train sooner. It looked like a great activity and fun way to see the park.
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens is a wonderful family day out – exciting, beautiful and fun for all. We would definitely go back if we ever find ourselves in that park of the country again. If you happen to, or live not too far away, then I would certainly recommend it for a lovely family day out.
*This is not a collaborative post, we just loved it and wanted to document our day out.