UK Zoo chatters awards

G

garyjp

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
A bit of fun really and if possible would like to keep this going until the end of the year as I'm sure many of you still have a few visits to go.We are going to have our own awards for our favourite hobby. ideally votes cast should be to zoos we have visited this year ,to each award - one zoo only and no longer than one sentence explaining why.

1.Best Safari Park (Whipsnade is not included)
Woburn - quite simply my kids liked it and want to go again!
2.Best small Zoo (less than 3 hours to look around)
Shepreth Wildlife Park
A little gem hidden in the Herts countryside with a nice mix of species
3. Best Large Zoo
Cotswold Wildlife Park
First visit this year very impressed allround.
4. best value for money
Paradise Wildlife park (Broxbourne)
A small to meduim Zoo that you do need the whole or best part of the day for. Ideal starter zoo for the kids.
5.Best Exhibit (single or multiple species)
London Zoo - Gorilla Kingdom
Just an awesome experience to see these gentle giants up close
6. Most Improved or Pleasantly Surprised Award.
Owl and Monkey haven (isle of Wight)
Things are on the up new exhibits and very pleasant surroundings
7. Peoples Choice (purely your own favourite )
London Zoo I know it has its critics but for me always has and will be "the"Zoo.
 
1.Best Safari Park – West Midlands Safari Park
The only one visited this year but still enjoyed my time here

2.Best small Zoo – Birdland Park & Gardens
Great bird collection in a small but well maintained area

3. Best Large Zoo - Cotswold Wildlife Park
A great collection with plenty of space and great staff

4. best value for money – Hawk Conservancy Trust (Weyhill)
Brilliant day out and outstanding birds of prey displays

5.Best Exhibit – Tropical Realm (Chester Zoo)
Love the mix of species both birds and reptiles/amphibians
could spend all day in here no problem

6. Most Improved or Pleasantly Surprised Award – Welsh Mountain Zoo
First visit this year and will be returning as I loved this place such a great surprise

7. Peoples Choice – Dudley Zoo
I love this place probably because it’s my local zoo and I have seen
It develop from the bad old days of the 70’s & 80’s
 
1, Best Safari Park, None visited.
2,Best Small Zoo, Exmoor, it gets better every year.
3, Best Large Zoo, Paignton. (It's head and shoulders above Marwell, the only other large zoo i've been to this year.)
4, Best value for money, Paignton (Because of the membership.)
5, Best exhibit. Newquays Tropical house,
6 Most improved pleasantly surprised. Folly Farm, first visit and i was pleasantly surprised.
7 Peoples Choice. Paignton.
 
1.Best Safari Park – Woburn Safari Park
Large enclosures and was a really good day out.

2.Best small Zoo – Bristol Zoo Gardens
Nice lot of species and rare animals and the baby aye-ayes!! Lay-out is nice and easy to follow

3. Best Large Zoo - Cotswold Wildlife Park
Large park with lots of room for the animals to roam as well as the visitors. Highlight where the Magpie Geese

4. best value for money – Chester Zoo
Have a membership so get my moneys worth it by visiting frequently. Also there is so much to do.

5.Best Exhibit – Sulawesi Macaques @ Islands (Chester Zoo)
Massive outdoor enclosure and given macaques more space to roam and to climb

6. Most Improved or Pleasantly Surprised Award – Anna's Welsh Zoo
Only expected to stay there for a few hours but ended up staying the whole day! Great enclosures and really friendly staff.

7. Peoples Choice – Chester Zoo
Have seen it grow and improve over the years and hope to see it get a bigger collection.
 
1. No Safari Park's visited this year. Only ever been to Woburn & Longleat, as stated elsewhere, I consider Longleat the worst value for money in the UK.
2.Best small zoo
If it is one that's still open I'll say Hamerton, but it may have been RSCC.Both for the large number of rarities that put some larger zoos to shame!
3.Best Large zoo
Chester (& I missed Islands by 2 days).
4. Best Value for money
Difficult because of the 28 zoos I've been to this year I've only paid at about half so didn't notice the charges. Of those I remember, Dudley, Yorkshire WP and Welsh Mountain seemed reasonable. At summer prices I'd say the worst would be Paradise Wildlife Park & Banham (£20!!)
5 Best Exhibit
Easy - Polar Bear at Yorkshire WP, I never thought I would see them in England again.

6 Pleasantly surprised- 1st visit to Dudley & thought it had real character, the only black Mark was the Orang outdoor 'exhibit'.

7 Peoples Choice
Will always be Whipsnade for me I think and in my opinion only Chester is better. If only they could get Polar Bears back...
 
garyjp said:
A bit of fun really and if possible would like to keep this going until the end of the year as I'm sure many of you still have a few visits to go.We are going to have our own awards for our favourite hobby. ideally votes cast should be to zoos we have visited this year ,to each award - one zoo only and no longer than one sentence explaining why

2.Best small Zoo (less than 3 hours to look around)
Shepreth Wildlife Park
A little gem hidden in the Herts countryside with a nice mix of species
.
Click to expand...

Just a minor point, not a criticism, but Shepreth is actually in Cambridgeshire (just!)
 
garyjp said:
Just a minor point to your minor point shepreth is hertfordshire but only just :)
Click to expand...

(Apologies to everyone else for continuing this!)
Garyjp - if you look on a map, you will see that Shepreth IS in Cambridgeshire, approximately 5 miles from the Herts border!
 
pipaluk said:
(Apologies to everyone else for continuing this!)
Garyjp - if you look on a map, you will see that Shepreth IS in Cambridgeshire, approximately 5 miles from the Herts border!
Click to expand...

Ditto as above. I think we should let them decide look at the address on the web site . But I do belive that the village of Shepreth falls into the south parish of cambridgeshire.
 
garyjp said:
Ditto as above. I think we should let them decide look at the address on the web site . But I do belive that the village of Shepreth falls into the south parish of cambridgeshire.
Click to expand...
I suspect what we have here is the classic case of a place being so close to the borders that either or both of you are right depending on your point of view!Many years ago I lived in a little place called Alsager,which is in Cheshire but if you went by the postcode we were in Stoke-on-Trent as we had a Stoke postcode,but if you were to phone me you would have been using a Crewe phone number to call me,now Alsager or atleast the part I lived in was most definitely in Cheshire,but in less than 10 minutes walk from my house I could be in Staffordshire!!
 
zoogiraffe said:
I suspect what we have here is the classic case of a place being so close to the borders that either or both of you are right depending on your point of view!Many years ago I lived in a little place called Alsager,which is in Cheshire but if you went by the postcode we were in Stoke-on-Trent as we had a Stoke postcode,but if you were to phone me you would have been using a Crewe phone number to call me,now Alsager or atleast the part I lived in was most definitely in Cheshire,but in less than 10 minutes walk from my house I could be in Staffordshire!!
Click to expand...

If i had a like button i would press it. Please can we all go back to the original post it was only a bit of fun
 
I have the same problem as I live in Cradley, my phone number is Cradley Heath but my post code is Halesowen and when I vote I go to Lutley to vote under Hayley green ward

Confused you would be.
 
garyjp said:
If i had a like button i would press it. Please can we all go back to the original post it was only a bit of fun
Click to expand...
Can for my money but you will have to wait until the 31st December for my awards as my visiting is going right to the wire this year!!
 
1.Best Safari Park – Woburn … this year

2.Best small Zoo – Curragh’s Wildlife Park

3. Best Large Zoo – Chester

4. best value for money – Newquay (free with Chester membership!)

5.Best Exhibit – Sea lion exhibit at Blackpool

6. Most Improved or Pleasantly Surprised Award – (not a zoo, but) Manchester Museum!! – Maude the Tigon, plus plenty other animal related goods.

7. Peoples Choice – Mevagissey Aquarium (small, quaint, pay what you want to, it beats any Sea Life Centre)
 
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I could almost certainly name most winners now, but as me and the wife have between 5 and 7 more zoos to visit this year I'll wait until end of the year, especially as we have 1 Safari Park (Knowsley) and Chester to visit....
 
Best Safari Park
None visited this year.

Best Small Zoo
Hamerton. And not just because of its unusual collection. The enclosures are basic but mostly good. It just offers more than the other small zoos in East Anglia.
Really this is probably a medium zoo, but we have no such category.

Best Large Zoo
Chester. Easy

Best Value for Money
Dudley. Twelve pounds is firmly in small zoo territory, but you get a full day zoo visit.

Best Exhibit
Seal and Penguin Coasts. It's been my favourite for a long time.

Pleasantly Surprised
This year's visit to ZSL London was my fourth, and previously I felt the zoo just lacked cohesiveness and a sense of direction. This year it all came together for me and I had a really great day.

People's Choice
Colchester. This seems like a category we can do whatever we want with. so this is basically 2nd place for Best Zoo. It's also excellent for families, like virtually every zoo!
 
Best Safari Park
Longleat, as it had a good walk round part as well as the safari

Best Small Zoo
Exmoor Zoo. A fantastic collection of animals, some unusual, plus they went the extra mile for us for my wife's birthday.

Best Large Zoo
Cotswolds Wildlife Park. A great zoo, made extra special with the Sifakas...

Best Value for Money
Currently South Lakes Safari Zoo are good value at £6, but Wildwood was good value for £11....

Best Exhibit
The Sun Bear exhibit at Colchester is amazing.

Pleasantly Surprised
I wasn't sure what to expect from the British Wildlife Centre but we had a good time, the red squirrel walk through is one of a kind.

People's Choice
Will go with our local Banham Zoo. Has possibly the best Birds of Prey display in the whole of the UK!
 
Best Safari Park - HWP (unless you count Whipsnade), I never go to any others.
Best Small Zoo - Newquay
Best Large Zoo - Chester
Best Value for Money - Chester Membership
Best Exhibit - Islands (by a country mile)
Pleasantly Surprised - Exmoor (from those I have visited)
Peoples Choice - Chester, you can't second guess 1.6 million visitors :)

Alan
 
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