Somerset recommendations

Waddi

Waddi

Well-Known Member
Hi all, I've just booked a family holiday for Somerset in may and been told that I am "allowed" to visit 2 zoos at most, so here I am asking for your recommendations.

The obvious ones to me are:
Bristol
The wild place
Noahs ark
Exmoor
Combe martin

But have to whittle it down to 2.
My home zoo is Chester so we get our fill of lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes and rhinos there and would prefer to go to atleast 1 collection with a contrast to Chester.
We visited Bristol last year and really enjoyed it, we also receive free entry to Bristol with our Chester memberships, so this makes it an early leader.

Thanks
 
You can do Bristol and Wild Place in a day (the latter is still tiny)

Otherwise another suggestion would be Home
 
Seems pointless going to Noah's ark if you're not after large mammals, Bristol and Exmoor have the more interesting collections and tropiquaria is worth considering.
 
I would say Bristol as it is free to get into and why not drive a bit further to longleat i think its only like an hours drive from somerset.
 
Take the family to Bristol, get there at 9am stay four or five hours then drive to Crbbs Causeway, drop the family off to go shopping, bowling or cinema while you pop across the roundabout and have a couple of hours at Wildplace. You can argue that as one zoo trip then visit Exmoor later in the holiday.
 
It depends where in Somerset you are staying, but as you've been to Bristol recently, Paignton may be a possibility if you are reasonably near the m5 and I assume your Chester pass will get you in free.
 
Ned said:
Take the family to Bristol, get there at 9am stay four or five hours then drive to Crbbs Causeway, drop the family off to go shopping, bowling or cinema while you pop across the roundabout and have a couple of hours at Wildplace. You can argue that as one zoo trip then visit Exmoor later in the holiday.
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Good plan! That 9 am arrival at Bristol is important - go directly to the nocturnal house and see the quolls and kowaris (and perhaps the aye-ayes too) before the lights go out ;) It's worth staying for the gorilla talk at 12.30 if the weather is good, so you can see them all on the island.

Alan
 
gentle lemur said:
It's worth staying for the gorilla talk at 12.30 if the weather is good, so you can see them all on the island.]

For some reason only a couple bothered to go out last time I was there, the others stayed indoors. They don't seem overly interested in what's on offer...

Like others I would count the two Bristol 'zoos' as one visit, then try for Exmoor another day.:)
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Thanks for all the advice.
Going for Exmoor and combe martin since I can do bristol later in the year easier than I can do either of those 2.
 
Waddi said:
Thanks for all the advice.
Going for Exmoor and combe martin since I can do bristol later in the year easier than I can do either of those 2.
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Well Exmoor is a wise choice,as for the other if I never visit it again it would be to soon,in fact at present the only thing that would get me back is them getting Soala!!!
 
Somerset....

Slightly rude remark above about Combe Martin, it would be nice to know the reason for this. Anyone in the south west, in my humble opinion, could do worse than visit Paignton (mainstream large zoo with excellent collection, breeding record and conservation involvement), Shaldon (quality species like
Margay and Red Titi) in a little gem of a zoo on a tiny site, Dartmoor (big herd of Lechwe and the only Jaguar for miles around) and of course Newquay (fine bird and herp collections, breeding stock of Owston's Civets and Black Wildebeest). Living Coasts is worth a look as a unique marine coastal collection under the same conservation trust as Paignton and Newquay.
 
So I followed the exmoor advice and visited there yesterday and the whole family loved it, totally different to Chester and that made it amazing. Thanks for the advice.

Got Bristol planned in for Friday.
 
Waddi said:
Got Bristol planned in for Friday.
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When you go in the Gorilla house( as I'm sure you will..;) ) could you see if the young male Komale is still seperated in the righthand(newer) section of the House? Or if there is any mention anywhere of plans for him.
 
Pertinax said:
When you go in the Gorilla house( as I'm sure you will..;) ) could you see if the young male Komale is still seperated in the righthand(newer) section of the House? Or if there is any mention anywhere of plans for him.
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I'll do my best, why is he separated?
 
Waddi said:
I'll do my best, why is he separated?
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When the new young female Touni arrived last autumn, he vied for her attentions with his father 'Jock' so creating a falling out and he was seperated from the group. But he is believed to also be the father of the latest baby born by C section. I am not sure what they plan to do with him now- reintegrate him into the group or send him away.
 
He was still separated yesterday. No idea how long the situation will continue.
 
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