Animals and Nature

ANIMAL FARM ADVENTURE PARK
Red Rd, Berrow, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset TA8 2RW. Zone C. Open daily 10am-5.30pm (5pm in winter), admission £7 adult/£6.50child/£6 senior/£26 family of 4 (slightly more for bigger families)/under-2s free. Ffi: 01278 751628, www.animal-farm.co.uk • "All-weather family fun. Stay and play all day" says the publicity of this huge, unpretentious place. It's got a big park with farm animals as well as a petting zoo. There's a vast outdoor adventure playground and an indoor play barn and some of the most awesome slides in the west. A good prospect for kids on rainy days. Also hosts themed fundays.

AVON VALLEY ADVENTURE AND WILDLIFE PARK
Pixash Lane, Bath Rd, Keynsham BS31 1TP. Zone A. Signposted off Bristol-Bath A4, open daily March 19-autumn, 10am-5pm, prices TBC. Ffi: 0117 986 4929, www.avonvalleycountrypark.co.uk • River-based park with terrific play and climbing areas, assault course, fairly scary drop slide, and lots of animals. The wooden play-circuit walk takes you past fields of donkeys, goats, llamas, cattle, sheep and more. There are boat trips and rowboat hire, mini quad-bikes, falconry displays and a miniature train ride. For families, this place is an excellent no-brainer that ought to burn off all that excess energy.

BIRDLAND PARK & GARDENS
Rissington Rd, Bourton-on-the-Water, Glos GL54 2BN. Zone D. Open daily 10am-6pm Apr-Oct (10am-4pm Nov-Mar), 2008 prices not confirmed (2007 prices were £5.25 adult/£4.25 senior/£3.25 ages 4-14/£15.50 2 adults + 2 children) - phone or check website for details. Ffi: 01451 820480, www.birdland.co.uk • One of the major attractions in Bourton, this place has been going for yonks, celebrating its 51st birthday last year. It was once a trout farm and poplar tree plantation but is now home to hundreds of birds, including flamingos, pelicans, cranes, storks, penguins and waterfowl. There are also aviaries with parrots, falcons, pheasants and lots more, plus indoor tropical and desert houses for creatures used to very hot climes. The penguins are fed at 2.30pm daily. Phone or check website for bird of prey encounter days. Dogs welcome as long as they're kept on leads.

BRISTOL ZOO GARDENS
Clifton, Bristol BS8 3HA. Zone A. Open daily 9am-5.30pm (5pm in winter), summer 2008 admission prices not confirmed - phone or check website, currently £11.50 adult/£7.25 ages 3-14/£10 senior, NUS/ISIC card/£34 family (2 adult + 2 child)/£5.70 disabled child. Note that all prices include a 10% voluntary surcharge under the Gift Aid scheme, and that you can get in for 10% less if you wish. Note that there's also a car-parking charge of £1 per vehicle. Ffi: 0117 974 7300, www.bristolzoo.org.uk • It’s actually one of the oldest zoos in the country, and easily one of the best (and most popular) days out in the west of England. Bristol Zoo Gardens (to give it its proper title) has loads to see and marvel at. There are over 400 exotic and endangered species, and the place effortlessly mixes fun with education and several conservation and breeding programmes. Highlights? You decide. There's the award-wining Seal & Penguin Coasts where you can go through underwater tunnels to watch the critters swimming around, and then there's Twilight World, Reptile House and Gorilla Island, plus (our favourite) Bug World, with all manner of creepy-crawlies. The hideously ugly/cute (you decide) aye-ayes are also big favourites. This summer will also see the opening of a new butterfly house, full of beautiful and endangered species from all over the world. It’s always worth checking the website when planning a visit as there’s loads of different events, particularly fun things for kids during the school holidays. Also hosts some very pleasant evening musical and theatrical events in summer.

COTSWOLD FARM PARK
Guiting Power, nr Stow on the Wold, Cheltenham, Glos GL54 5UG. NB: Beware using SatNav systems to travel here as they may direct you through a deep ford; follow brown & white tourist signposts instead. Zone D. Open daily 10.30am-5pm from 15 Mar-7 Sept, then weekends to 19 Oct, closed in winter, admission £6.50 adult/£6 senior/£5.25 under 16/£21.25 family. Ffi: 01451 850307, www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk • One of the original and best of the ubiquitous rash of farm parks that broke out in the 1980s and 90s, and one which has stood the test of time. It's big, with loads of rare breeds, including sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, horses, poultry and waterfowl. There's also a big play barn, plus "Touch Barn" (petting zoo), farm safari rides (no extra charge anymore) and a tractor school. Also a nice new woodland adventure playground and a regular programme of seasonal demonstrations. Oh, and a "jumping pillow" which sounds brilliant - something between a bouncy castle and a trampoline that both children and adults are allowed on.

CITY FARMS
See Fun for Free section.

FERNE ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Chard, Somerset TA20 3DH. Zone C. Open daily 10am-4.30pm, admission free. Ffi: 01460 65214, www.ferneanimalsanctuary.org • One of the oldest animal sanctuaries in the region, with something like 300 residents - guinea pigs, tortoises, ferrets, ducks, hens, geese, cats, dogs, goats, pigs, sheep, donkeys, horses and cows. Families welcome, plenty of free car parking. The sanctuary is also wheelchair-friendly and has picnic tables in the conservation area. Admission is free, but obviously they hope you'll put some money in the collecting tin or give a cat or dog a good home. You can also sponsor an animal.

HOLLY HEDGE ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Wild Country Lane, Barrow Gurney, nr Bristol BS48 3SE. Zone B. Open daily 11am-4pm (until 2pm Tue), admission free. Ffi: 01275 474719, www.hollyhedge.org.uk • Animal sanctuary, mostly with cats and dogs and the occasional rabbit. Drop by and they'll appreciate a donation or, better still, offer one of the animals a good home.

HORSE WORLD
Staunton Lane, Whitchurch, Bristol BS14 0QJ. Zone A. Open daily 10am-5pm from 1 Apr-31 Oct (10am-4pm Tue-Sun in winter), admission £6.75 adult/£5.75 senior & concs/£4.75 ages 3-16/£20 family. Discounts for Bath Discovery Card holders. Ffi: 01275 540173, www.horseworld.org.uk • A firm local favourite, especially with family visitors and younger children. This is no mere horsey theme park - it's run by The Friends of Bristol Horses Society, a registered charity that looks after horses, ponies and donkeys that have been mistreated or neglected and has put together an excellent visitor centre in order to raise funds. You can get up close to the animals, and there's an indoor play barn and outdoor adventure playground, picnic area, café, daily demonstrations and more. From March to October there are often tractor-drawn tours (small extra charge - phone ahead to check they’re running on the day). Also new this year is a museum and education centre. Check website for seasonal events.

LONGLEAT
Nr Warminster, Wilts BA12 7NW. Zone C. • See Theme Parks section.

MONKEY WORLD APE RESCUE CENTRE
Longthorns, Wareham, Dorset BH20 6HH. Zone D. Open 10am-5pm daily (6pm July & Aug), admission £10.50 adult/£8.75 student/£7.25 age 3-13, conc/£31 family (2 + 2)/£21 family (1 adult + 2 children). Ffi: 01929 462537, www.monkeyworld.org • Yeah, it's a bit of a way from Bristol/Bath, but it's a good cause. It was set up in the 1980s by Jim and Alison Cronin as a refuge for chimps used as props by photographers on Spanish holiday resorts and which are often horribly abused by owners. Nowadays the 65-acre site provides sanctuary for 150-plus primates of 15 different species. The centre is also active in campaigning against the African “bush meat” trade. So if you think the admission charge is a little steep, well, it costs a lot to run a place like this. It also boasts a petting zoo, donkeys, woodland walk and play area.

NOAH'S ARK ZOO FARM
Failand Rd, Wraxall, nr Bristol BS48 1PG. Zone B. Open Mon-Sat 10.30am-5pm until 1 Nov, closed Sun, admission £10 adult/£9 concs/£8 ages 2-16/£26.50 family (1 adult + 3 children)/£28.50 family (2 adults + 2 children). Ffi: 01275 852606, www.noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk • About 100 acres of farmland in rather pleasant N. Somerset countryside with all the usual petting zoo favourites, plus a growing array of more exotic animals, including deer, rhinos, camels, alpacas, giraffes, reptiles, birds and more. Also big indoor and outdoor play areas, a hedge maze and 3-D maze, daily animal shows and more. What's not always immediately apparent from the publicity is that it’s run by fundamentalist Christians who use it to call the Darwinian view of evolution into question and promote something called “creation biology” - if you want to find out more, go to the website and click on the tab labelled (with no apparent sense of irony) ‘Education’.

PRINKNASH BIRD & DEER PARK
Cranham, Glos GL4 8EX. Zone C. Open daily 10am-5pm in summer, admission £5 adult/£4.50 senior/£3.50 child. Ffi: 01452 812727, www.prinknash-bird-and-deerpark.com • An interesting little corner of the world which will easily consume the best part of a day. The bird and deer park is the main attraction, with loads of peacocks, waterfowl and more exotic birds in tropical aviaries. Also a few deer and dead-cute miniature goats. There's a play area and a dinky Tudor-style Wendy house. The bird and deer park is only a small part of what was once a huge and powerful monastic estate until Henry VIII came along and broke it up. The wider estate, which is run completely separately from the bird & deer park, is now a religious community once more, run by Benedictine monks, and you can wander around its extensive grounds. Don’t miss the abbey gift shop, which is the point of entry for the Great Orpheus Pavement, a re-creation of an immense Roman mosaic pavement depicting the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. There's a separate admission charge for this, but it's definitely worth seeing.

PUXTON PARK
Cowslip Lane, Hewish, Weston-super-Mare BS24 6AH. Zone C. Open 10am-5.30pm Apr-Sept (shorter hours in winter, closed Nov-Jan), 2008 summer admission prices TBC, 2007 was £4.50 adult/£6.50 ages 4-16. Ffi: 0844 800 2295, www.puxton.co.uk • New arrival as of last year, a farm park designed to show the connections between food, farming and conservation while being fun at the same time. Based on a 70-acre organic dairy farm, there’s a lake, wildlife hide, several miles of trails, plus livestock pens and crop displays. Plus farm shop specialising in local, seasonal and/or organic food, with regular tastings and talks. Also restaurant and café plus play barn.

PUZZLE WOOD
Off B4228 nr Coleford, Glos GL16 8QB. Zone D. Open daily 11am-5.30pm Apr-Sept (shorter hours in winter, closed Nov-Jan), admission £4.20 adult/£3 ages 5-16. Ffi: 01594 833187, www.puzzlewood.net • The Forest of Dean is full of oddities, but this place probably takes first place. More than 2,000 years ago, before the Romans arrived, the area was an open-cast iron mine, but it's long since been reclaimed by nature to become a maze of weird moss-covered rock formations and gnarled trees and, even though it only stretches to around 14 acres, you can get seriously disorientated and lost here. Marvellous place, though note that it's completely unsuitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The site also includes some farm animals and an indoor maze.

SEAQUARIUM
Marine Parade, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1BE. Zone C. Open daily 10am-5pm, admission £6.15 adult/£5.15 senior, child/£21.99 family (includes free guidebook). Ffi: 01934 613361, www.seaquariumweston.co.uk • Not the biggest and best marine-life place but fascinating nonetheless. It's always wonderful to get up close and personal with these creatures, particularly if they're denizens of Britain's own cold, murky coastal waters. Several themed displays introduce you to the astonishing variety of creatures - sharks, eels, octopus, cod and lots more - that haunt our shores. OK, maybe not that many cod any more. There's some tropical creatures, too, including the ever-enigmatic and intriguing sea horses.

WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM
Westonbirt, nr Tetbury, Glos GL8 8QS. Zone C. Open Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat & Sun 8am-8pm, shorter hours in winter, admission varies from £5 to £8 for adults, subject to seasonal variation, £2 for ages 5-18, under-5s free, concs and family tickets available. Ffi: 01666 880220, www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt • Some 600 acres, covered with around 18,000 trees from all over the world, collected by the Victorian gentleman-horticulturalist whose estate this once was (his very grand house is now a private school for girls but opens to the public a couple of times a year - see www.westonbirt.gloucs.sch.uk). Apart from its scientific importance as one of the most extensive collections of trees in the world, it's a grand day out. Plenty of pushchair/wheelchair-friendly pathways, but also lots of grassy bits to burn off excess energy. Some people will tell you it's best to visit in the autumn, when the leaves are changing colour, but any time is a good time. See the blossoms in spring, have some lovely shaded walks in summer, and do the winter wonderland thing if it snows. Of course, it is one of the West Country's greatest attractions, so can get crowded; try and visit during office hours in term-time. Boasts huge programme of educational and conservation activities for adults and kids as well as some open-air summer concerts and, in late summer, the Festival of the Tree, whose attractions include vast sculptures done with chainsaws. Also look out for the evenings when lights and lasers turn it into the "enchanted forest" in the run-up to Christmas. Oh, and don’t forget to take the camera - places like this make us all look like photographic geniuses.

WILDFOWL & WETLANDS TRUST
Slimbridge, Glos GL2 7BT. Zone C. Open daily 9.30am-5.30pm (closes earlier in winter), admission £7.95 adult/£6.15 concs/£4.35 ages 4-16/£22.15 family. Admission includes voluntary donation under Gift Aid scheme; reduce price by 10% if you do not wish to pay it. Ffi: 01453 890333, www.wwt.org.uk/visit/slimbridge • One of the world's leading centres for the study and conservation of wetland birds - makes for a day out that's as worthy as it's fun. See, feed and learn about wetland birds, and help the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust to conserve wetland habitats. There are hides in the grounds for you to spy on the birds, and you might even catch a glimpse of a kingfisher. Very nice visitor centre, decent cafe/restaurant and shop, play area, and loads of activities for children and grown-ups, particularly in the school hols. Phone or check website to see which seasonal visitors are flying through and find out about events.

Venue Days Out Guide - Bristol and Bath's best excursion guide. To order your copy ring 0117 942 8491. Only £1.95.