It’s been a long, hot summer but August Bank Holiday gave us a chance for one last hurrah before it was back to school and nursery. With a five year-old and a two year-old we’ve done our fair share of zoos and petting farms, so we were on the lookout for something new. And Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, promised enough of the big ticket beasts to make the 125 mile trip down from Tyneside worth it.
Pulling into the Auckley site’s enormous car park along with a stream of hundreds of other cars, I did wonder if we’d made a mistake and that bank holiday crowds would get the better of us. Having downloaded the park’s own app – which includes a map revealing the vast scale of the place – we knew a buggy was essential so the smallest of our party was coaxed in and within minutes we were on foot, and heading into the park itself.
Before you even get to the gates there is a whole host of attractions and shops included in the Yorkshire Hive resort that adjoins the park. With some quick thinking diversion techniques we bundled our two past them, knowing fine well we’d never get to see so much as a door mouse if we set foot in the soft play first.
With tickets scanned we breezed in to be met by the penguins. As animal attractions go, Yorkshire Wildlife Park must be among the smartest and cleanest. The ‘Boulders Beach’ enclosure – home to a colony of African Penguins – is almost so pristine to be inviting for a dip, and the clear waters make for great viewing as the birds plop in playfully and swim up to the glass for a better look of their visitors.
At the impressive, nearby ‘Point Lobos’ pool complex we could hear plenty of barking from the resident sea lions but they were ensconced indoors, out-of-sight. No matter; knowing it’s a big old park to get around in half a day, we’d already formulated a plan to make straight for the rhinoceros’ enclosure – a much anticipated sight for our boys.
I must confess to a slight sinking feeling as we passed several enclosures on the way with either no animals to be seen, or very limited glimpses – as was the case with the Red Panda who had scuttled to the top of a tree to hide from the bank holiday crowds. But I needn’t have worried, as the day began to really deliver for us.
Just as we neared the Amur Tiger area, a gasp went up from visitors lining the fences. One of the two beautiful tigers had decided to take a sultry walk a mere metre or two from the public walkway giving a spellbinding display. And the nearby giraffes kept up the momentum as we got up close to all three, who were chomping away on leaves suspended from baskets in their shelter.
We were barely 45 minutes into the visit but under fives’ hunger knows no bounds, so we made an early stop for lunch, which we’d brought ourselves. However, we did brave the queues at the ‘Masai Coffee House’ for a decent flat white. The park’s warthogs probably made a cleaner attempt at their dinner than our two, but refuelled and cleaned up we trekked on for the vaunted rhinos.
You need to be up for a walk between enclosures at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. And while that might mean hard work gee-ing up those with shorter legs, it quite rightly means the animals get proper space to roam, which makes the experience feel a little less guilt-ridden than other zoos. Hence, when we made it to the ‘Into Africa!’ area, the rhinos looked – at least to my untrained eye – fairly relaxed. (Rhino experts tell me otherwise).
A talk was about to start just as we passed the amphitheatre. The title “whose poo is it anyway?” was just too enticing for our five year-old to ignore so we spent a surprisingly informative 15 mins learning about the difference between meerkat and penguin poo.
Further on, the lions – some of whom are rescued from Ukraine – generously sunned themselves on the raised platform of their enclosure affording us a good view. And – with plenty of smaller critters on the way – it was time for the polar bears. Who knew polar bears aren’t actually white? Their fur is translucent and their skin is black. I certainly learned something and was transfixed by the powerful predators as they enjoyed their ponds in the late summer warmth.
It was back via another glimpse of the tiger, the cackling hyenas, an ice cream and a play-park pause, to our last stop of the day: dinosaurs. Trust the one inanimate exhibit to utterly enchant our boys. We tip-toed past the gruesome looking T-Rex, ducked under the pterodactyl and lingered by the colossal brachiosaurus whose tall neck serves as a beacon to the ‘Pangea’ section of the park.
Before we knew it five hours had disappeared, and there was still plenty of stuff to see. With only minutes to spare before closing time we did manage to clock the handsome maned wolf and saw the gibbons performing on the ropeways before making for the car park. Top marks to Yorkshire Wildlife Park (and we’ll be back for those sea lions).
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here.