UK holiday advice

lintworm

lintworm

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
The UK has always been something of a black box to me and apart from London and Belfast I have seen absolutely nothing of it. But it now looks as if I am going for a 2 week holiday to the UK at the end of April, the main reason being to visit a friend living in Bristol. But apart from a few days in Bristol there are then still some 10 days to fill and I am looking for a beautiful holiday destination that combines the following:

- Access by public transport (preferably by train), I don't mind if the train doesn't run hourly ;)
- Preferably somewhere along the coast
- Reachable from Bristol within a half a day would be nice
- Some nature area with good biodiversity, birds or as it is April some nice spring flowers
- It would be nice to have a zoo nearby that can be reached with public transport with a 3 year old kid.
- Good weather would be nice too :p

I am open to any suggestion if it fits the above description, but if you have even better suggestions, I am curious to hear, just note we will travel with public transport and Bristol is a fixed part of the itinerary.
 
I would say that Wild Place (Bristol Zoo Project) is a nice place to go, with a few species such as Wolverines, E.B Bears, Giraffes (Reticulated) and Eland. It is nicely themed and I enjoyed my visit in the summer :D. It is Perfect for a Half-Day Visit.

Hope this was Helpful.
 
I suggest WWT Slimbridge, Paignton & Shaldon and if you can do an overnight stay (as transport to N Devon is more complex), Exmoor.
 
I had many holidays to Devon (one of the counties near Bristol) growing up, and consider it to be one of the nicest and most scenic areas of the country (also one of the best for wildlife and birdwatching, although by British standards that really isn't saying much!). It is also one of the best for zoos, with Exmoor and Paignton being the two best, but plenty of smaller gems such as Shaldon (very small, but many rarities such as Owston's Civet), Dartmoor, Escot or Plymouth (the UK's largest aquarium) if you have any interest in aquaria, although sadly they aren't all that accessible by public transport. Paignton and Plymouth are both relatively accessible by train, Shaldon less so, although the nearby city of Teignmouth, whose train station is just half-an-hour's walk away from the Zoo, is decently inter-connected so far as I am aware.

Personally, I would strongly recommend a visit to Exmoor, which has plenty of rarities (although I suspect you have already encountered many at other zoos), but public transport in that area of the country can be difficult, although some who travel around there more often than myself might be able to offer some advice as to how it is possible.

Enjoy your trip!
 
Exmoor is by some distance the best zoo in the region and should not be missed whether you need to pay for a cab or not!!

There are plenty of other zoos worth visiting:
Wild Place /Slimbridge easily both done in a day (or substitute Noah's Ark)

On the south coast you could comfortably do 2 of Dartmoor/Paignton/Shaldon/Axe Valley in a day, none need a full day!
 
Seconding Paignton and Shaldon of you can make it to them, both relatively easy to do by public transport (train followed by bus for Paignton, or boat and walk for Shaldon), both very nice zoos. The area around Shaldon is particularly picturesque.

Kalaw said:
...the nearby city of Teignmouth...
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sorry, but this gave me a giggle, little Teignmouth being called a city :)
 
Bristol Locality:

WWT Slimbridge I would certainly recommend as it has both the wildlife and the captive species. April is both good and bad for birds. Many wintering birds like the Bewick's swan which is a Slimbridge speciality will sadly be gone but an all manner of different warbler species will be arriving back on UK shores. The site also has wild breeding common crane and black-tailed godwit with the latter looking stunning in its russet summer plumage. Wildflowers such as primroses, cuckooflower & marsh marigold will be out at this time and with Slimbridge being a wetter site you'll surely see at least the two latter species. Slimbridge is about 40 minutes from Bristol centre.

I can't comment on Wild Place or Noah's Ark but they are both less than half an hour from the centre of Bristol and 20 minutes from each other.

Devon & Somerset:

As mentioned zoos such as Exmoor are in this neck of the woods, and crammed full of rarities and interesting species. Paignton, Tropiquaria, Axe Valley, Shaldon, The National Marine Aquarium & Dartmoor are all between 1-2 hours from Exmoor.
 
Definitely seconding Wild Place, especially as the bears wake from torpor about a month before and are very active.

Aside from saying if you're in Bristol pop over to Bath (completely unrelated to the tourism money helping pay my rent and student fees, promise) I'll go left field and say Monkey World might be a good choice.

Aside from being in one of the most beautiful places in the country, south Dorset, it's fairly easy to get to on the train (it takes a while and has a few changes but the first leg is lovely countryside and the second New Forest) and the walk up from the nearest station (Wool) is equally nice. The collection itself is effectively as good as it gets, minus gorillas, for primates.

Of course if you wanted to see gorillas, Longleat is fairly easy to get to - again by train, direct from Bristol and then a bus or the same from Dorset.

Also in Dorset is the brilliant RSPB Arne, which especially in late April is great for native sea birds, raptors, migrants and herps. Incredibly easy to get the bus to and then a nice walk.

Paignton, though I haven't yet been, also sounds like a similarly good choice. Being in the Dorset area also opens up Marwell as a choice, which I find to be a very underappreciated collection nowadays especially with its hoofstock.

While you're in the Bristol area the Avon is great for us nature geeks. Aside from the obvious, notably half the world's population of swans (or something like that), there's a large population of cormorants and the surrounding floodland and marshes (especially between Bristol and Bath) are home to many birds of prey. Bath itself has a very vocal pair of peregrines and quite a few rarities for cities, such as hobbys and kestrels.
 
Crowthorne said:
sorry, but this gave me a giggle, little Teignmouth being called a city :)
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Not quite sure how I managed that! :p
cerperal said:
Of course if you wanted to see gorillas, Longleat is fairly easy to get to - again by train, direct from Bristol and then a bus or the same from Dorset.
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Although it must be said that there is little point of visiting Longleat without a car, seeing as more than half of the zoo is not accessible by foot. Having said that, in terms of rarities, both the Southern Koala and the Hairy-nosed Wombat, each the only representatives of their species in European zoos to my knowledge, would still be visible. :)
 
Considering your requirements and your desire to travel by train / public transport, I'd suggest you look around the Tenby area or south Devon e.g. Dawlish Warren.
Tenby has Manor Wildlife park, Folly Farm Zoo and Welsh Owl Garden nearby. Also some nice coast line, sea birds and dolphin watching.
Dawlish is close to Paignton Zoo and Shaldon Zoo. Also it has a beach and some nature reserves.
Weather is probably more reliable in Devon, Wales is less busy during holiday periods than Devon.
 
Even though you can't do the drive-through at Longleat, there's the walk-through area and of course the boat to the hippos and sea lions! There's a massive hedge maze, a huge castle-themed playground area, a big train, and lots of other things for little kids, as well.

Just looked on the website as I thought there used to be a bus that takes those without cars through, and there still is! Tickets are first come first serve at Guest Services and are 9 quid, under 3s are free.
 
cerperal said:
Also in Dorset is the brilliant RSPB Arne, which especially in late April is great for native sea birds, raptors, migrants and herps. Incredibly easy to get the bus to and then a nice walk.
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I very much recommend this one too - it's particularly good for nightjars, Dartford Warblers and getting a full set of UK reptiles and amphibians in a single job-lot :)
 
Chlidonias said:
Is the end of April late enough?
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Yeah, even up here in the north of England amphibians start becoming more visible by late February or early March, and where the reptiles are concerned I've certainly seen adders, viviparous lizard and grass snake by that timespan too.... so late April on the south coast of England would be entirely well-suited to a bit of herp-spotting :)
 
TinoPup said:
Even though you can't do the drive-through at Longleat, there's the walk-through area and of course the boat to the hippos and sea lions! There's a massive hedge maze, a huge castle-themed playground area, a big train, and lots of other things for little kids, as well.

Just looked on the website as I thought there used to be a bus that takes those without cars through, and there still is! Tickets are first come first serve at Guest Services and are 9 quid, under 3s are free.
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As most people know, Longleat is Very Expensive so it would be best that you stayed over so you can get a full day.
 
If Longleat opens around 10:00 it is best to arrive around 11ish as there is a HUGE lunch rush! With a 3yr old I’m not sure how easy it is to get up from Bristol and drive there for 11:00? This was just my was of thinking :p
 
Dr. Loxodonta said:
If Longleat opens around 10:00 it is best to arrive around 11ish as there is a HUGE lunch rush! With a 3yr old I’m not sure how easy it is to get up from Bristol and drive there for 11:00? This was just my was of thinking :p
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It's only an hour? Why not get there at 10?
 
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