Thank you all for your advice so much! It truly means a lot. I don't want to waste a minute of this trip and I'm doing research in my own time too but I really appreciate all the insight you've all been offering.
We have determined that I will fly from Chicago to London and back, and in researching this, the possibility of me staying part of the trip in London and part in Sheffield came up, particularly to take advantage of public transportation out from each city. This is of course subject to change when I actually try to book hotels and how long I can actually stay here or there, which is to be determined hopefully sooner instead of later.
Currently, the tentative plan is for me to spend a few days by London and in this time do the London Zoo, Whipsinade Zoo, and possibly Monkey World, in order of priority. Colchester or Cotswold also seem possible from here but I haven't looked into them as closely so far. I will also do some London attractions.
I will then stay in Sheffield and from there hope to see Chester Zoo and Yorkshire Wildlife Park, as well as Hamerton Zoo Park, Twycross Zoo, Birmingham Nature Centre, and maybe possibly Knowsley Safari Park - again in order of priority, and the latter likely only if it's a social visit and not a solo visit, as I'm not expecting to rent a car or drive myself there much. Johnston's Hurst also came up near Hamerton. May also do some of the small, domestic only collections.
The determination has been made Edinburgh is almost certainly not happening this trip. I didn't really think so, but I wanted to include it in the previous post in case anyone had a more compelling argument. I definitely appreciate the advice relating to the area though as I'd like to do more of the north on a visit in the further future.
I have started a tentative list of species I want to focus on at each facility, but I am using the website lists for now, which I imagine may not be complete?
So, here are some key questions:
- Which of these zoos are the easiest and most difficult on public transportation? My friends in the area have given me a lot of information but of course I welcome what zoochatters have to say on this. Being able to reach things via public transport is very important to me as I am not a comfortable driver. (Many of you have already helped a lot with this, but restating in case there is more insight!)
- Are any of the zoos particularly expensive for admission or have other notable exhibits that may involve up-charges?
- What are some rarities or even just uncommon species (relative to the US especially) at each of the facilities mentioned and how visible are they? I am already keeping a list based on zoo websites of what I want/need to see most, but again, checking in with zoochatters always helps, maybe there is a reptile or bird I would overlook otherwise!
- Similar to the above question, do any of these facilities feature European mammals in particular? I'm also interested in other European birds and reptiles, but especially European mammals as there are almost none in US collections.
- Are there any particularly notable historic exhibits I may want to see? I really enjoy buildings or exhibits with a history to them and have closely studied the history of my local facilities so this is always a plus. This is inclusive of exhibits that may be of low quality but are expected to be replaced. I know London has a lot of historic buildings but I'm not necessarily sure which may be worth paying extra attention, if that makes sense.
- Are there any new exhibits that may be opening around the time of my visit?
@Kalaw helpfully reminded me about the reptile house.
Some of you have already addressed some of these, you've all been very kind and I appreciate it so much, posting this just in case there's more to discuss!
If given the option, the two in the UK which I would see are Chester and Hamerton, for those who have visited Chester in the past for the first time, I know they have done it over two days to allow time to see everything. My Fiancee's family live around the Sheffield area, and the zoos around the area are not huge, Yorkshire Wildlife Park is the biggest and quite straightforward via public transport and a very good collection. There's Tropical Butterfly House and Cannon Hall Farm which are relatively close. There's three collections in Lincolnshire, which are relatively short journeys on the train, Lincolnshire Wildlife Park, Woodside Wildlife Park and Wolds Wildlife Park, which can be done from Sheffield.
Whenever I visit Hamerton, I end up going through Leeds then to Peterborough/Huntingdon, then a cab journey to Hamerton. There's a smaller collection which can be done with Hamerton although won't be cheap if you're relying on public transport, a taxi to Hamerton from Peterborough/Huntingdon is about £20 each way, plus, Johnston's of Old Hurst is about £9.00 each way via Uber. Johnston's has sloth bears, puma and a variety of nice crocodilian species. If you have any further questions about public transport and getting to zoos on them (I rely on them a lot), feel free to drop me a PM.
Thank you for the tips about the smaller places -- discussed them with my friends in the area. The Mayfield Alpacas are a favorite for them in a pinch! Definitely more to look into.
Johnston's Old Hurst actually does sound interesting as well - crocodilians aren't a group I discuss often but certainly one I'd like to see more. I'll have to see how time and public transport work out. £30 each way if I'm understanding correctly may be a bit much but if I can swing it, well, why not?
Agree on Hamerton and Chester. London Zoo is definitely worthwhile but more so, I do think you would regret not visiting London as a city! Easy journey and takes about 2 hours.
I'm very excited about it now. I initially thought it was further off Sheffield and would be more trouble to reach than it's worth, but I now see no reason to skip it, and while there's not a lot of London attractions I'd bookmarked to see in the past, looking at the map around the zoo and just how many things are in the area really whet my appetite a little, in the 'as long as I'm in the area, I should do this' way.
It's an interesting contrast in terms of distance too -- my family has always been extremely travel-averse (my mother would have you believe a half hour drive is a lot to ask) so the idea of casually visiting London via a two-hour train is quite funny to me!
I've never been to Hamerton but it does sound really good. Definitely recommend Chester as the best zoo in the country. Edinburgh won't have the Pandas and I'm not sure what it would offer to justify such a journey although Scotland is beautiful and Edinburgh is a very picturesque city which can be viewed in all it's glory from the new giraffe enclosure. If you like primates I'd recommend Monkey World but it is a long way from Sheffield
I've mentioned Edinburgh a bit earlier here and I've definitely taken into account that it looks a bit too far for little buck. Monkey World has caught my eye a lot and I've been considering if I do stay in London, heading down to MW from there. The key rarities there really appeal to me, woolly monkey and Bengal slow loris, but it is a distance so I'm treating it as a 'stretch goal'.
Most places are do-able via public transport. Sheffield is a pretty good rail hub, with trains to a few different areas all leaving from there.
Hamerton is a pain to get to by public transport, unless you are happy to get a taxi or a ride-share.
Twycross is also a pain by public transport (the nearest rail station is Atherstone, from where a bus leaves only once a day each way to the Zoo, and that might only be on Saturdays). Probably another one to ride-share if possible.
London is very easy from Sheffield, but expensive on the train. Advice is to either book ahead or look at getting a coach (which would be cheaper but take longer). The Sheffield train comes into London St Pancras, from where you can either get the Northern Line to Camden Town (which is a 15 minute walk to the Zoo), or the 214 then the 274 bus to Primrose Hill. For travelling within London, the Transport for London website is your best place for up-to-date info and maps. If nocturnal primates are your thing, London has you covered (Aye-Aye, Senegal Bushbaby, Moholi Bushbaby, Pygmy Loris, Grey Slender Loris, Potto)
Birmingham Nature Centre might not make your list, but they have a lot of nocturnal primates too (Grey Slender and Pygmy Loris, Potto, Night Monkeys) and is just a lovely small city collection. Can be done in an afternoon (nearest rail station is University from where it is an easy walk).
I don't mind getting a ride-share, although cost is a factor of course, especially when combined with admission costs, but I usually find them saving more headache than they cause. Do you reckon any of those are particularly expensive via rideshare?
How expensive is the train there? When you say 'book ahead' do you mean days, weeks or months? I imagine that sounds silly but I've lost out on things before for interpreting 'ahead' as a week instead of a month. Thank you for such detailed information on getting to London especially - and the reminder which primates they have? I keep half-expecting to find something's passed.
Birmingham did come up in my searches a little but the fact you brought it up has encouraged me more so I've added it to the list. Good to know it's close to the station! Thank you so much!
If you wanted to go across a bit Cotswold is also doable as cross country run a train from Sheffield to Oxford in the same time it takes to get to London, but one to see if you can get a ride to as public transport to CWP itself from Oxford sucks. But it is a lovely collection.
As a frequent visitor with a car if you were going to rail stations for Hamerton or Cotswold etc I’m happy to offer a lift if the timing works out.
That's very generous of you and I appreciate it immensely, I'll stay in touch when things are close. I could probably try to do Cotswolds from while I'm in London. Are there any special highlights at Cotswold to plan around or keep in mind?
Edinburgh's a lovely city, but for the zoo alone, I wouldn't recommend travelling all that distance. It has its moments (incredible enclosures for penguins and chimpanzees, and a very unique research setup with chimpanzees and capuchins) but for the most part it is somewhat forgettable, especially seeing as the pandas would have left by your visit. As mentioned above, Highland Wildlife Park is phenomenal, but again may not be worth the distance.
Obviously a little biassed as its my local, but London Zoo is worth visiting in my opinion, especially if you have an interest in zoo history and architecture, as there are so many beautiful, historic structures, in the world's third oldest extant zoo, and one that coined the idea of zoos being institutions of research as well as entertainment. The nocturnal primate collection is of note as you mentioned, as is the bird collection, mostly displayed in Blackburn Pavilion, a lovely Victorian bird house with multiple walkthroughs and rarities such as the last Scarlet-chested Sunbirds in captivity. There is also the new Reptile House, which should be open by March, and looks very promising.
Chester is a must-visit, as you mention, but it can be difficult to see in one day (which I assume is all you will have) - other members more familiar with the place can better inform you on this, but you probably will have to make decisions on what to see and what to skip. Spirit of the Jaguar, Realm of the Red Ape, Islands and Tropical Realm are must-sees, but I would also recommend Dragons in Danger, which is often forgotten about, but has rarities such as Javan Green Magpie and Ploughshare Tortoise.
Enjoy your trip!
Thank you for the further insight on Edinburgh. I definitely have some long-term interest there although it probably won't be this visit. I would love any further insight into what is most worth seeing at London, especially for historical elements -- Blackburn Pavilion sounds very fun and I've only just heard about the new reptile building days ago but it'll be fun to see a modern one as most of my visits in the US have been historical.
I'm open to spending two days at Chester if it doesn't interfere with anything else or if there is anything I might miss entirely, will depend on time and place, of course, but it's not something I'd want to rule out! Spirit of the Jaguar and Islands are two of the exhibits I'm most interested in but I appreciate the recc for Dragons in Danger - those are exactly the kind of rarities I would miss out on without zoochat to help.
Best bet with Chester is to get there at opening time and make your way straight to Islands, which is on the far side of the zoo from the entrance and thus fills up last. See it - and especially Monsoon Forest - before the crowds arrive, then go to the Bat Forest, and then mooch around the open air parts of the zoo until relatively near to closing time by which time the houses closest to the entrance such as the Butterfly House and SoJ and the Aquarium - which is lovely when quiet and authentically horrible when crowded - will be fairly empty. The indoor section of the Elephant House is outside the entrance gates and can be visited as you leave.
Thank you so much for the tips. I'm very bad at skipping across a zoo (to my own detriment) but given the notoriety that Chester can't be done in one day I'll definitely try to take this advice!
