We always visit York when we’re in the UK, but never venture much further than the city itself, which seems like a complete shame since Yorkshire is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful counties in the UK.
This time around, our York friends suggested we go visit the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The what? The fact that we had never heard of it before made us both surprised and curious, and without much hesitation we decided that we must see it.
I am always in two minds about wildlife parks such as these… they’re not zoos, but they’re not allowing these wild animals to live in their natural habitats away from prying human eyes either. It’s not always glorious. There are times where you feel guilty to be examining these majestic species from their enclosures. But on another note, some of these parks actually do some pretty amazing work with extensive research, wildlife campaigns, and rescue efforts giving these animals a new chance at a good life.
When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised at the stunning location of the park itself, and just how well maintained it was. Our friends told us how it was a very small park to start with and they have been expanding year-on-year, creating beautiful and spacious refuges for animal who have been rescued from harsh captivity – the lions living in the park were rescued from Romania, where they lived in small cages.
Fortunately for them, but unfortunately for us, they had just eaten a mammoth lunch, so were all fast asleep when we got there which wasn’t very exciting for C., but still pretty great to see them all basking in the sun.
The wallaby enclosure was particularly fun, where C got to feed them some lettuce, and the lemur area allowed us to hang out with one of my favourite animals and observe their curious personalities.
The park is fantastic family day out in Yorkshire – there are plenty of animals around and the spaces are truly stunning. There are big perks on being able to feed some of the animals, and the park rangers were very helpful and informative. We had a great time, and would come back in a beat.
HOW TO GET THERE:
The Yorkshire Wildlife Park is 1 hour from York, and there is a huge car park on site.
PRICE:
Adult: £15
Child (3-15): £12
Children 2 and under go free
ON SITE FACILITIES:
There is a fab and large café and a variety of shops to make sure you don’t go home empty handed. There is also a slide area, that unfortunately is for children 6 and over only. This was a shame, especially considering our 3 year old had to pay nearly as much as an adult.
For more information please visit the YWC website.
* This post was not sponsored in any way by the YWC.
