On-Line Tickets Only
09/09/2020
Updated 07-09-2020 *
We are delighted that zoos across England were allowed to re-open from Monday June 15th.
Work had been going on at the Park over the past few weeks, to extend the measures we had already implemented prior to closure back in March, to make sure we were ready to open on 15th June, and to ensure that your visit is as enjoyable and as safe as possible.
EVERYONE must buy a ticket on-line *
including tickets priced at £0.00 for all children under 3 or less, AND all season ticket holders. The tabs above and to the left will take you to our DigiTicket web page.
Tickets are limited in number each day, so that we can ensure that the Park does not become over-crowded and make sure that social distancing is possible. Over one and a quarter kilometres of hard paths and acres of mown grass lawns will give ample space to spread out and enjoy the countryside and our wonderful animals.
Public tickets will be available from Thursday 18th June.
* Please note that a fee of £1 per ticket will be added to all purchases at checkout. This charge is made by the companies which provide the payment and ticket systems, and are their averaged fee. This charge applies to all tickets including zero priced ones for toddlers and for season-ticket holders. The charge is not made by the Park, is passed on at cost and is the price we must pay for the new system. We hope that it will be acceptable to everyone.
* Because our numbers are limited and not everyone who wants to visit will be able to buy a ticket, we cannot offer any refunds on tickets for any reason. Tickets are only valid for the date chosen. Please do not proceed through the on-line checkout if you do not accept this, or if you our anyone in your household is ill.
* Please do not visit the Park if you or anyone in your household is/are unwell, it is not fair to our staff and our other visitors.
* A visit to the Park will initially be a little different, and our regular visitors will notice some changes.
* Entry times have changed a little - we will now be open from 10am to 5pm - to give our keepers chance to get around before and after visitors arrive.
* Some of our animal houses will be closed on Government instructions. Initially, these will include the Wombats and Outback Aviary and the Malayan Tiger viewing tunnel. Our domestic animals are all on show, but they are now walk-past instead of walk-though, and the feed machines are not in use.
* A one-way system has been introduced around the Parks one and a quarter kilometres of hard paths. We hope the signage is simple and easy to follow, so please do so. There is no time restriction on your visit and your are free to do as many circuits as you like.
* It is a strict condition of entry that Government advice for social distancing is followed at all times, in queues and around the Park.
* Hand-sanitising points have been installed at regular intervals around the site. Please use them sensibly.
Our Coffee-Shop is Open.
It is providing our normal range of food, drink and ice-cream on a take-out basis.
Please make your selection from the menus outside and chose one person to order for your group. Currently, we have no tables inside the Coffee-Shop.
* A food pick-up point has been installed in the Play Area, which is closed with the equipment fenced off. Similarly the Train will not be running initially. All outstanding tickets for it will be honoured when the service resumes.
* Public toilets are cleaned regularly and are open on a one (group) in, one out, basis. Social distance queue lines are clearly displayed.
* Our small Gift-Shop gives clear lines of sight and will be open on a strict one-group-in, one-group-out basis.
This is the first phase of our planned re-opening, and we will post here and on social media any changes as soon as we can, and look forward to seeing you all soon!
Update - 24 June.
As announced by Government yesterday, from July 4th our animal houses, walk-throughs, Outback Aviary and out-door play area will all be re-opening in phases. Whilst social distancing measures are in place, we will not be able to run our train.
Our opening times are now extended to 10am till 5pm.
We will of course continue to post Updates as things change.
Update 10-07-2020
All of the animal houses are now open with the exception of our sloth house and Outback Aviary, which we hope will be ready to open by the start of August.
Update 14-07-2020
Please also note that from Friday 24th July it will be necessary to wear a face covering to enter either of our shops. Government guidance changes all the time, is often contradictory and far from clear. We always comply with whatever is current at the time, but we would ask that you bring your own face protection to wear where required.
Update 16-07-2020
It looks as though the face-covering requirement is now to be limited to our Gift-Shop, which is open and welcoming limited groups. This is working very well, and we would like to thank all our visitors for their purchases; the profit from which is allowing us to pay some of our creditors. Please bring your own face-covering IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. Limited supplies will be available at cost, from reception.
Update 27-07-2020
Our Outback Aviary is now open with its previous one-way system retained, and the addition of hand sanitizers. For the moment, we are afraid that you will be very lucky to see a Wombat, as our pair have become very used to the solitude of lock-down and baby 'Hope' has of course never seen people other than our staff. As a result they have very much gone-to-ground, Wombat style! They will of course get used to people again, in their own time.
Our Sloth house too is now open again, with a traffic-light entry system - one-in-one-out.
Update 29-07-2020
Our new Syrian Bear exhibit is open today. 'Bear Meadow' consists of two outdoor enclosures and a system of four dens. At around 6000 square meters it is one of the largest bear enclosures in the country, and is approached by 200m of new, wide pathways and large areas of open lawns. Our bears may be a little shy at first, as they have also become very used to lock-down - but if you approach quietly, they are so nosey, they wont be able to resist coming over to say 'hello'.
Update 07-09-2020 *
Now that most (if not all) schools are back and so the summer holidays are over, we are looking forward to a nice steady autumn. Certainly good weather is forecast! - and autumn is the perfect time for a visit.
Our on-line booking system has worked well over the holidays and allowed us to to monitor and control visitor numbers as we wanted. We know that many thousands of people were disappointed and unable to buy a ticket at busy times, and are sorry that this had to happen to allow us to ensure the Park was as safe and enjoyable as it possibly could be.
We expect(?) that now visitor numbers will reduce as is the seasonal norm, but cannot make any changes immediately as we cannot begin to predict the future.
From Monday 7th September, our on-line pre-booking system (provided by DigiTicket) will remain in place permanently for the convenience of most visitors who would like to still use it. Buying your tickets on-line is easy and quick, and saves time, queues and contact at our entrance. We encourage everyone to continue to use it - but, (on week-days only) and to help those without internet access or credit/debit cards, we are now able to offer non-booked entry too. This is because, as expected, visitor numbers are lower in the week now the schools are back.
Please Note - Weekends remain pre-booked tickets only.
Update 14-09-2020
From today all visitors who have not booked on-line though our automated system, will be required to leave their name, address, telephone number and arrival date/time at reception. This data will be retained in paper form for 21 days in case it is demanded by the Government, before it is destroyed.
Update - 14-09-2020
Please note that because of new Government requirements, our on-line check-out now only allows each transaction to buy a maximum of 6 tickets. If you attempt to put in more, it will reject the purchase and redirect you to the start.
Update - 23-09-2020
Please note that because of continuous changes in Government policy, that from tomorrow masks will need to be worn at all times in both shops. Masks can now no longer be purchased from the shops themselves, but supplies remain available from our reception window. Without a mask you will not be permitted entry to either shop. Food purchased on-site is now take-out only. We cannot offer waitress service, as this would markedly increase the risk to our staff and volunteers. It is expected that these new restrictions will stay in place until at least March 2021.
Update - 23-09-2020
As mentioned above, all non-booked visitors also now need to be in groups of six or less, and need to complete a personal data form on arrival. This will take a few moments, so we strongly urge every-one to book on-line as usual. It is quicker and safer. QR codes accessing a Government app are displayed as legally required, but as so few people have these apps and there is no way we can check to see if they are being scanned properly, the data form will still be required every time. Please do not visit if you do not accept our conditions.
Please note that because of the new 6 person limit on ALL groups of visitors, our school and group booking system is temporarily suspended and on-hold.