I was with young Mr. ThylacineAlive yesterday; it was very pleasing to find through new eyes that the place is still as bizarre and baffling as ever - on my ninth visit, I'd started to become immune to the general surreality of the place.
I was with young Mr. ThylacineAlive yesterday; it was very pleasing to find through new eyes that the place is still as bizarre and baffling as ever - on my ninth visit, I'd started to become immune to the general surreality of the place.
I personally think that Colchester zoo is better than Chester zoo!
Colchester zoo in my opinion has the best animal collection in the UK. The zoo layout is rather strange and so are many of the exhibits but I find Colchester much more pleasant. I have only been to Chester zoo once and when I went I didn't really see many animals compared to what I see at colchester zoo.
I agree with the above comments and I would also like to say I enjoy the fake rock
I personally think that Colchester zoo is better than Chester zoo!
Colchester zoo in my opinion has the best animal collection in the UK. The zoo layout is rather strange and so are many of the exhibits but I find Colchester much more pleasant. I have only been to Chester zoo once and when I went I didn't really see many animals compared to what I see at colchester zoo.
I agree with the above comments and I would also like to say I enjoy the fake rock
Yes but then at Chester the animals have a choice of if they are on-show or not while alot of Colchesters don't so you can keep Colchester as your favourite if you like animals not having a choice of if they can be seen,I will stick with Chester on the grounds the animals come first and the visitor second at Chester!!
It's much easier to see animals in bare mock-rock exhibits where they cannot escape the view of the public than it is in well-vegatated exhibits with off show areas, I'll grant you that
On a different note, and as I said to Thylo late in our day, I always enjoy Colchester, but I find it quite hard to relax at Colchester. Between the smaller site, narrower paths and regular dead-ends it's a bit like being (to use Chester examples) in Realm of the Red Ape or the False Gharial window all day. There's only really the Edge of Africa section where you have space to breathe and time to watch and reflect without having to make way for people or cut through groups.
It's actually my biggest problem with London these days as well - it can be hard to feel you can relax and enjoy without constantly having to negotiate other humans.
Compare with Chester, Whipsnade or Cotswold, where even when it's busy there is room to breathe.
London is hemmed in in the middle of a grand metropolis, and that can't be helped - Colchester is pretty rural and should, I think, feel more open and less claustrophobic than it does.
EDIT: It occurs to me that the smallest 'big' UK zoo of all, Bristol, seems to handle crowds better than London or Colchester, to my mind. It's clearly something in the layout.
It occurs to me that the smallest 'big' UK zoo of all, Bristol, seems to handle crowds better than London or Colchester, to my mind. It's clearly something in the layout.
Bristol is such a tiny zoo in terms of acreage but would you say that visitors generally venture round the place in the same direction? The square-like shape lends itself well to a rather predictable tour while judging from the many maps that I have of Colchester the layout of the zoo means that there are visitors haphazardly travelling in all directions.
