Our day out – three South West tourist attractions tested
Noah’s Arc Zoo Farm, has celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. Initially tenants of Lord Wraxall, Anthony Bush and his family have transformed Moat House Farm into Noah’s Arc Zoo Farm, one of Bristol’s rapidly developing tourist attractions.
The latest residents of the farm, breaking in their brand new purpose built lodgings are tigers, including the pitter patter of a tiny tiger cub born just eleven days ago. Larger animals include camels, giraffe, zebras, tigers and rhinos.
The Zoo Farm is a fabulous day out for families, catering for both wet and dry weather. There are plenty of animals to feed, tractor rides, indoor play areas, new outdoor splash pool, animal shows, hands on animal encounters and much more to entertain tots to teens.
The ethos of the farm has some basis in creationist theory and is not open on Sundays. None of this encroaches on the day out in the slightest, though be ready for the sudden mention of Jesus Christ in the middle of the excellent animal show.
We like that the attraction is excellent value for money with a day out that will tire the most demanding of children. So far the place is unspoilt by the heavy corporate branding and identity of other attractions.
Though there is an ice cream hut, gift shop and cafe, all are tucked away discreetly and not one child asked for an ice cream as they had no idea they were on sale, simply because they were not rammed into their faces at every opportunity. Fantastic.
Glastonbury Abbey is a surprisingly tranquil and interesting family experience despite much of it held together by myth and prayer. It stretches over acres of beautiful grounds, giving children plenty of space to run, picnic and explore the ruins in relative safety.
Glastonbury Abbey manages to bond conservation and history in a hands on way without the corporate ‘don’t touch the precious things’ manner of the National Trust.
This is perfect for warm sunny weather though hats and lotion will be needed as it is very exposed. The toddlers visiting this attraction loved watching the puppet show telling the legend of King Arthur, and enjoyed hands on touching the stone exhibits in the museum.
We recommend keeping an eye out in the gift shop for Glastonbury Abbey bottles of their own apple cider.
www.glastonburyabbey.com
Wookey Hole hit the press in recent months when the attraction held a recruitment drive for a new witch. There was no witches to be seen on our visit, though there are plenty of legends, caves, play areas, dinosaurs and circus shows.
The attraction is incredibly expensive for families so we recommend visiting www.contigreatdaysout.co.uk to get a free child entry voucher.
We have all seen the film Big. Only a fool will be popping their pennies into this slot machine
Though it is expensive, the cave tour entertained children from walkers to pensioners. Some of the stalagmite shapes pointed out during the tour are a little dubious but the lighting is beautiful. Our dead pan cave guide was informative and funny, though suspicions were raised that he had learned his craft from League of Gentlemen character Mick McNamara.
Prams can’t be pushed around the caves so take a baby carrier and wear sensible footwear.
Other highlights included paper making and a mirror maze. Just when we were deciding whether Wookey Hole really was value for money, we were stunned by a fantastic circus show put on by children age 9 to 16 years old.
The attraction is running a circus school through the summer with the students putting on daily shows for tourists. The talent of children so young was incredible, with unicycling, trapeze skills, rope and silks. www.wookeycircus.co.uk
An expensive day out but the caves are great and the circus school outstanding. We felt these two items made the day worth it.