Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, Burford. (From Worcester News)

Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, Burford.

2:44pm Monday 6th July 2009 in

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Venue:

Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens,
Burford,
Oxfordshire

Where:

On the A 361, two miles south of its junction with the A40 at Burford.

What’s on offer:

A comprehensive collection of animals from throughout the world set in the beautiful grounds of a Victorian manor. Opened in 1970, it now has one of the country’s most respected zoological collections, and boasts a growing education programme, participation in numerous endangered species breeding programmes and several vital conservation projects in the wild.

How to get there:

From Worcester take the M5 south, leaving at junction 11A and following the A 417 to the Air Balloon roundabout where you take the A436 almost to Andoversford, then the A40 to Burford, where you follow the A361 south for two miles to the park.

Opening times:

The park is open from 10am every day except Christmas Day. Last admissions between March and September are at 4.30pm and between October and February at 3.30pm. During British Summer Time all visitors and cars must leave the park by 6pm (5pm from October to February).

Prices:

Adults: £10.50; Children 3-16 inclusive £8; People aged 65 and over £8. Children under the age of three are admitted free, as are the registered blind. Season tickets are available and there are group rates for 20 or more paying persons from organisations such as Brownies and Cubs or other large parties. These should be booked in advance on 01993 823006

Review:

The Cotswold Wildlife Park is essentially a walk-and-see experience, rather than a drive-around day out, There is, however, a circular train route around the heart of the park for which there is a fare. We had not been to the park for more than 15 years, although our grandchildren had and they became our guides.

The animal enclosures are spacious and carefully landscaped, taking full advantage of the beautiful rural setting of the Bradwell Grove estate. A walled garden – in earlier times the kitchen garden – houses mongooses, parrots, tamarins, marmosets, otters, penguins storks, squirrel monkeys, lemurs and weavers, meerkats and a variety of birds in spacious aviaries.

Llamas, oryx, Bactrian camels, zebras, giant tortoises, white rhinos, ostriches, lions, capybaras, flamingos, tapirs, peccaries, wolves, waterfowl, and wallabies are among the many other species to be found throughout the park.

There is an impressive children’s farmyard, with pigs, Shetland ponies, pygmy goats, sheep, hens and other animals that children love to interact with. Around the centrally-located manor house are a reptile house, and displays of fruit bats, monkeys, gibbons and siamangs. Our grandchildren particularly enjoyed stroking a large snake wrapped around its keeper.

Other attractions which go down well with the youngsters are the twice daily feeding of the penguins and the well-equipped and child-friendly adventure playground. The park has a selected of refreshment kiosks, a restaurant, picnic lawns and gift shop.

Our visit to the Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens proved to be a genuinely enjoyable experience, as well as educational and a value-for-money day out.

Review by Beverley Abbs.