We visited the No1 walk through wildlife
experience in the rain and it was WILD!
As we all know in the UK the weather is very unpredictable and I cannot remember when we had a this much rain in the half term, so been an organised family who plans ahead we purchased Yorkshire Wildlife Park tickets for an outdoor attraction months ago to use in August. Who would of thought that meant we would be spending a whole day in the rain!
We had a choice either loose our money as Yorkshire Wildlife Park tickets aren’t refundable or take a chance, brave the rain and have a great day. I’ve said it before, I am from Leeds, a Yorkshire Lass and I don’t like to waste money so off we went to Yorkshire Wild Life Park, Doncaster. Fully packed for all seasons.
We arrived by Car as today we were booked into the Night at the Zoo event meaning the park closed at 9pm and too late to travel back via public transport. That been said I have often arrived via Train from Leeds to Doncaster Train Station which is next to the Bus station where you will find a bus to hop on that drops you outside the Zoo. It takes approximately 10 mins to walk to the entrance from the bus stop.
Pre covid you could buy your Yorkshire Wildlife Park tickets on the bus and your fare was free unfortunately that has stopped but hopefully the Zoo will bring back the scheme as every little helps.
There’s also lots of offers around so check for vouchers and discounts they change so quickly. To get the wet weather guarantee you have to book via the site and event days are excluded. So bare this in mind when booking.
We entered through the new Pangea Dinosaur area which is really cute and the children were excited to explore. And sometimes afraid!
We moved on to the Hyenas and Monkeys where there was a little play area. One of the many dotted around which make perfect break stops to have a snack or rest those little legs. Or in our case a place to loose a tooth! Don’t worry it was wobbly in Pangea! Who can say they lost a tooth at a Zoo? He won’t forget that!
We put the children in snowsuits and wellies to keep them warm and dry. Also to allow them to play on the many outdoor play areas. The zipwire is our favorite as we don’t have many of these nearby. You can find a play area every 30mins or so. There’s also enough picnic tables and benches around many have shelter so bring a picnic! Mine ate through everything by 2pm!
Throughout the day there’s shows and animal talks. We managed to see the Alice in Wonderland show and the Lemurs talk. If you plan your day you could go from one to another but we enjoy a more relaxed approach and prefer to go with the flow. The Alice in Wonderland was a perfect length to keep these under 6’s entertained. I would definitely recommend seeing one of the shows when you pass by. There on every other hour throughout the day. Even if you miss out of the talks I found the rangers were very knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. A learning experience for all as who knew Polar Bears ate Horses? And Okapi had tongues long enough to clean out their ears?
We do enjoy the indoor play area Monkey Playhouse. It does get busy so seating is an issue but if your children are old enough to play without running to mum every few minutes there’s a seating area above via steps where you can view and even consume your own food! We however managed to find a table nearby and enjoyed a warm cuppa tea!
But we still enjoy running through the puddles! A secret play area! Only available for those who brave the rain!
Because we were coming back for the Night at the Zoo event we thought it would be a nice to treat the children to dinner at the Evolution Restaurant so we left the park for some food and return later!
I am going to do a separate review on that as I think on a normal day you would head home at 4:30pm. I personally think if you combined the Restaurant and Uproar Play Barn and are local this could be a lovely treat as we found it was too much for ours to do all together in one day.
Night at the Zoo
We arrived back to the park later than we wanted and not knowing want to expect but we really enjoyed the experience. I think this was their first event? As I couldn’t find anything to let me know what would happen on the night but I am sure they will be having many more!
When we booked the tickets it was advertised as a Night at the Zoo a Sunset Safari Adventure, listen to the enchanting tails of the animals. Now I didn’t know what to expect. Was there guided tours? Talks? Experiences? Lot’s of things running through my mind!
Well!!!
Not what I was expecting but pleasantly surprised. I think they could of advertised it better as there wasn’t anything different regarding the Zoo itself but we did notice the animals were more vocal and came out to play! Madagascar is real! The Zoo came alive! Just not in the way we thought!
Now as we already walked around the park once today plus it started to belt it down, it was only fair the twins rested their little legs so I hired a double pushchair (£15 for the full day). It was very easy to push with two 6 year old’s in it and was snug but perfect for our whistle stop tour of the Zoo at Night!
We managed to see all the characters around the park, unfortunately we didn’t manage to take a picture with the Hyenas as it was too busy and the heavens opened again!
All were amazingly dressed and decorated to a high standard making my wellies and mum bun look inferior. I know that next time we visit the zoo I need to turn this park ranger look into a dazzling Peacock or even a fun Latino dancing Parrot! Then again I think I’d look rather cute and would stay really warm dressed as Mamma Bear!
This was a perfect end to a lovely day, interacting (and not breaking character) allowing the children to be immersed into a magical experience where the animals really do come alive at night!
Did the weather stop us having a great time? No!
Did it stop us seeing all the animals? No!
Would we come back again? Definitely!
Hopefully the weather will be dry the next
time we visit and I’m sure we will return very
soon as we have had a ROARSOME time!
