Family Adventures in Swindon - Cotswold Wildlife Park

Sian Jack knows a thing or two about keeping kids out of mischief and entertained! Each month she'll be visiting a different family friendly attraction and reporting back!

Endless episodes of Postman Pat, clearing the kitchen table for a baking session or ripping open the Mister Maker chest for an afternoon of crafts. This will be more than familiar to those of you with little nippers in the house this winter and now that spring has sprung it is time to venture into the great outdoors and experience some of the great days out that Wiltshire has to offer.

A couple of weeks ago my partner and I ventured out the house with his very excitable 27 month old and headed to Cotswold Wildlife Park. We had asked the little one what he wanted to do and he requested a trip to the Zoo so instead of venturing further afield we decided to stay local and venture just over the border into Oxfordshire. Being a short 30 minute drive from North Swindon, we were definitely excited about what was potentially on our doorstep!

Cotswold Wildlife Park feels so open in comparison to other zoo’s and wildlife parks I’ve been to. You pay on arrival, before parking and then hop out of the car and walk straight into the park. The car park is also on site which allows flexibility and easy access to the car (another plus point for parents with toddlers who may decide they don’t want to carry their favourite toy around with them anymore!)

Whilst the park is small it feels like there is so much on offer, we saw zebras, monkeys, meerkats, rhinos, lions, penguins and my favourite the giraffes amongst an array on insects and birds. We didn’t get as far as the flamingos and the wolves but by this point the little one was getting tired and we decided not to push it and go back later in the year.

The giraffe park was a real winner, especially with the new walkway / ramp which takes you all the way up to head height allowing some great views and cracking photos. My only complaint would be that younger visitors need a helping hand to see over the barrier but this is a small price to pay and is the same in any wildlife park that I have been to. Once in the hut – the big glass windows allow a more toddler friendly view. I can clearly remember the oo’s and ahh’s around me of excited children and adults as a young giraffe ventured our way to graze from the feeding box a meter in front of us.

Another highlight for us was found in the walled garden and came in the cheeky form of penguins. There are only a handful of the penguins in the enclosure but the characters that came out to visit us were cracking. 

After a lovely morning walking round, we decided it was time for lunch and stopped off at the onsite café. However, once the days become warmer there are plenty of spaces for picnics and as the car is so accessible there is no problem in you leaving food in the car and returning at lunchtime to collect it. Definitely a plus point as there is nothing worse than carrying huge picnic baskets around all day. 

I have to say that our day out was incredibly enjoyable. The park was clean with plenty of toilets scattered around and refreshment kiosks ready to be opened later in the season. Under 3s are free to get in and it cost £14.50 for each adult which for us made it a very reasonable day out.

For those of you with children aged 3-16 there is a charge of £10.00. I am really interested in the prospect of a season ticket to use over the summer and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone wanting a relaxed fun day out (children or no children!)