Staying at Cooks Green Holiday Cottage will give you a wonderfully relaxing holiday to remember. We are blessed with the history in this area and you will feel like a time traveller exploring ancient places of interest and villages. One place we recommend to our visitors is a visit to Burford and the Cotswold Wildlife Park.
John Heyworth created the Cotswold Wildlife Park in 1970. Set in the sprawling grounds of Bradwell Grove Estate, it covers 160 acres of the 3000 acres set around the wonderful gothic mansion. With over 260 different types of animals, this is a place to spend a day enjoying the grounds and taking the opportunity to see the extremely rare white rhino.
In addition to the wildlife park, the grounds are renowned for the spectacular gardens. The Victorian manor house takes centre stage in the gardens near a large walled garden and fascinating collection of mature trees that form a key part of the landscape. Planting around the animals is innovative and interesting and the gardens are often referred to as a theatre with plants.
The gardens allow you a breather from the exciting animals and this makes the park a perfect place for visitors of any age. There are daily activities that allow you to see some of the day-to-day natural spectacles that take place. These include penguin feeding which is always comical with these delightful creatures, talks on lemurs and their feeding habits, last but not least feeding time for the big cats. The big cats only feed every couple of days or so which simulates their natural feeding patterns so you may not always see them eat.
One activity worth the while is the Madagascan Walkthrough exhibit, which allows visitors to get a real insight into the lives of our different varieties of lemur. Around the walled garden area, you will find many primates and small mammals, which are not to be missed. The park has successfully bred some amazing Wolverines – the first zoo in the UK to do so.
Take a trip aboard the narrow gauge railway, which takes you on a train ride all around the park for only £1.00. This is an excellent way to see what the park has to offer and gives you a little time to relax off your feet to prepare for the next activity. Perhaps you may wish to stop off at the well-known brass-rubbing centre. Situated in the manor house and providing all the equipment you need, you can make some rubbings of the animals, which make a wonderful souvenir of your day out.
There are plenty of facilities to make the visit comfortable for everyone. All members of the family are catered for and whether you choose to picnic in one of the designated areas or enjoy dining in the restaurant, you can be sure all of your needs will be met.
For something special the Cotswold Wildlife Park offers zookeeper for a day activities and animal encounters where the zoo professionals guide you through the behind the scenes aspects of animal keeping giving a close up insight of the every day functions.
For other animal related excursions nearby check out our page of Top 10 Local Animal Attractions.