There are 2 major players in the tourism market in South Pembrokeshire - Oakwood a Leisure Park with major roller-coasters and other rides , this mostly caters for older children/ teenagers ; Folly Farm caters more for younger children , with its many attractions , it is much cheaper than Oakwood and certainly excellent value for families . Both establishments offer burgers , fizzy drinks etc. , the usual mass-market provision . These and Manor House are all within 10 miles of each other . Opposite Manor House is Heatherton a multi-sports centre with a vast number of different options - fast go-carts , paint-ball , pitch and putt and 'Pirates' golf , maize maze etc. There is also a Dinosaur Park just down the road so there is plenty of competition .
Manor House WP seems to be trying to position itself as being slightly more up-market with decent food and drink on offer in the Manor House , interesting educational panels with linked children's activities . But it is also more expensive to enter and for refreshments . It does seem to be forced to do new attractions 'on the cheap' and very rustic , as opposed to the solid new animal exhibits at Folly Farm . Manor House will never get anything like the number of visitors that Oakwood and Folly Farm achieve as it is a much smaller establishment . It could be a very good small Zoo as its has a very attractive setting but to achieve this would be very expensive and probably not sensible if a return on your investment was expected .
I like the way that Folly Farm's zoo is developing , common species are being replaced by some interesting new ones , with decent new enclosures every year . The Zoo has to compete with other areas of the attraction for new investment but the owners do seem to be showing a commitment to it . Nothing about the collection at Manor House excites me , there are very few species on show , the most spectacular the American Bison have gone - I personally think they are a better exhibit for 'Joe Public' than White Rhinos .
Thanks Bele- very interesting appraisal. It sounds as if Folly Farm may have the edge in the longterm as they have more cash to put into their projects.
I thought Manor House getting rid of their Bison was a bad move- there is so much that can be made of these impressive animals regarding their history and near extinction in the USA, yet they seem to be treated as 'semi-domestics' nowadays.
