september zoo trip

A

anidude

Well-Known Member
hi all I am going on a zoo trip spread over three days and I have shortlist the following zoos and was wondering if you people could share some tips and general advice on what they have to other what the must see things are and any other info the zoos are

port lympe
howletts
paignton
blackpool
 
anidude said:
hi all I am going on a zoo trip spread over three days and I have shortlist the following zoos and was wondering if you people could share some tips and general advice on what they have to other what the must see things are and any other info the zoos are

port lympe
howletts
paignton
blackpool
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Nothing wrong with any of the 4 zoos, but aren't they a bit far apart to do in the space of 3 days?!
 
that's good then and that list is only a shortlist im going to cut it down to three based on peoples views and my own research etc
 
Well the first thing you have to do is work out how you are going to get to these zoos and then where you will stay... at the moment with those four the problem is you have two that are easy enough to combine into two days (Howletts and Port Lympne) and then two others which are more than 300 miles apart. Maybe you need to tweak your list and narrow it down to you only want to do zoos in the North or South of England etc. Back in 2012 I managed a similar three day tour taking in Marwell, Bristol and then Paignton over a long weekend... It was pretty tiring but with good pre-planning it went smoothly and without incident.
 
You could easily go to Howletts, Wingham/RSCC and then Port Lympne in 3 days. I haven't been to Wingham, but it's about half way(10-15 mins) between Howletts & RSCC. Wildwood(never been there ) isn't far either.
 
anidude said:
hi all I am going on a zoo trip spread over three days and I have shortlist the following zoos and was wondering if you people could share some tips and general advice on what they have to other what the must see things are and any other info the zoos are

port lympe
howletts
paignton
blackpool
Click to expand...

The only one i haven't been to is Blackpool. I have regularly been on weekend trips involving the other 3, although not together. I do a Kent weekend travel down on friday, visit Wildwood, sat, Port Lympne, Sunday Howletts and Wingham. All four are worth a visit, although PL isn't anywhere near as good as the first few times i went, but Wingham has come on leaps and bounds.

The Devon weekend is usually Paignton, Living coasts and Shaldon, but there are also nearby options of Dartmoor zoo and the National Marine Aquarium.

Your list is a bit of a strange one, and not knowing where you are based, makes it difficult to suggest what is your best bet. On my weekends when i have large distances between zoos i usually start with the furthest away and work back, I.E. Welsh mountain, friday, Chester Sat, Dudley Sun, Birmingham nature centre Mon then home.
 
im based in Northamptonshire and I am going home after each zoo then going out again the next day distance isn't really an obstacle as I have done longleat in a day before wthout staying over
 
Quick question your journey time to Longleat i am guessing is a little over 2 hours,that is not a long journey,kent wouldn't be under 3 hours for you as well Blackpool would be over a 3 hour drive away for you!The only drive that I do that is over 3 hours away from me without stopping in the area to do other places is Colchester which is over a 4 hour drive one way,I have done Paignton in a day in the past which again is over a 4 hour drive in a day,never again as there are far too many collection in the area that can be done in that area.

Personally I would do what Johnny Morris has suggested and go to the furthest place you plan on doing and find somewhere to stop and do another place close by the next day,you never know you may find that you could visit 2 or 3 small places in a day and increase the number of places that you visit in the time period you have!!
 
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anidude said:
im based in Northamptonshire and I am going home after each zoo then going out again the next day distance isn't really an obstacle as I have done longleat in a day before wthout staying over
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I use travelodge to stay at they are very reasonable if booked in advance. It would probably work out cheaper than the cost of your fuel.
 
As suggested in post 5, Rare Species Conservation Centre is near Howletts and Port Lympne. Due to the number of rare animals and the fact it just reopened I would think that is a good choice.
 
Johnny Morris. said:
I use travelodge to stay at they are very reasonable if booked in advance. It would probably work out cheaper than the cost of your fuel.
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Laterooms.com is worth a look if you're thinking of overnighters. I would suggest you consult Zootierliste about your favourite species and plan accordingly.
I have done a few of these sort of tours but zoogiraffe is our real expert. I hardly ever visit 2 collections in a day, but I take photos, so I spend more time over a visit than many people. But you could combine Cotswold, Birdworld and/or the Crocodile place if you wish to see as much variety as possible.

Alan
 
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