We were very lucky to be selected to visit Marwell Wildlife as part of the Moneysupermarket competition to find Britain’s best family days out.
Marwell Wildlife has always been a family favourite outing since I was a child, and I have carried on the tradition by taking my own children there. Marwell Wildlife is situated in Owlsebury, Hampshire (near Winchester) which approximately a 45 minute drive from us in Bournemouth, Dorset.
Marwell is a registered charity dedicated to the conservation of bio-diversity and other natural resources and is set over 140 acres of land and it is the sheer expanse of the park which I love. Even if the park is busy, it never feels crowded and the children are free to run and explore to their hearts content!
We visited Marwell on a cold, crisp November day making sure we wrapped up warm.
We arrived on the last day of their Halloween activities, which added another dimension for the children, with lots of family friendly spooky goings on!
During the morning, we saw very few other people and felt that we had the park to ourselves. The first port of call were the Penguins who seemed very pleased to have some company and were showing off all their moves, which delighted Isaac, Eliza and Kian. One Penguin was even following Kian’s hand in the underwater viewing area which had us all entertained for quite some time!
We then headed off to explore some more of the animals, although at this point Eliza was just as happy to splish splosh in the numerous puddles that had formed thanks to some heavy overnight rain.
In the fields to the right, we saw some rather chilly looking Capybara and Flamingos………
and to the left, we saw the first of the big cats – a Cheetah which had a new viewing platform called Savannah Tracks, so you could look down into the enclosure. Not only was this platform big enough to more than accommodate my double buggy, but it had information about the animal on wooden pillars all along the walkway.
The Cheetah was obviously enjoying a nice snooze in his house as he wasn’t interested in coming out to greet us.
At the end of the Savannah Tracks walk, there was an interactive zone, so you could find out more about the Cheetah if you wanted too. My lot were more interested in playing Peek-a-boo with Daddy though!
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Savannah Tracks at Marwell Wildlife |
Next door to the Cheetah was one of my all time favourite animals and I was excited to learn that there had been a new addition the group – Dubaku – who was born on 13th October, isn’t he cute?
We spent quite some time with the Giraffes and arrived just in time for the Keepers talk, which was fascinating. One of the Giraffes was quite insistent on interrupting too, which had the group in fits of giggles.
Next stop were the Zebra who didn’t want to pose for a picture for us………
and then another walkway / viewing platform for the Leopard, who was quite frankly magnificent!
By now we were starting to get a little cold ourselves and were heading towards the restaurant, when we spotted a hut with animal skins on the table. What we found was the jewel in Marwells crown and with the help of a very knowledgeable park keeper, discovered some of the wonders of nature!
An Elephants Tusk!
An Elephants Tooth – extremely heavy, so no wonder they only ever have 4 at a time!!
Look how long and smooth this snake skin is:
It was truly fascinating, and the park keeper aimed his approach at Kian and Isaac perfectly. He was explaining vertebrae with Kian and showing him where the spinal cord went and how similar the bones were between a Giraffe and a Flamingo, despite their difference in size. A full Flamingo skeleton was on display and look so fragile it is any wonder they can stand and hold their necks up! The Giraffe vertebrae, was quite frankly huge and I was shocked to learn that a Turtles shell has ribs very similar to our own.
Although Eliza was a little too young to appreciate all the things we could see, she enjoyed feeling the textures of the different animal pelts, and I was quite surprised at how smooth some were in comparison to others. The Beaver was definitely the softest and I was surprised that the Leopard was quite wiry feeling.
By this time, we had warmed up and it was fairly close to lunchtime, so we decided to do a bit more exploring before heading to the restaurant, and stumbled across the Meerkat talk, which was just about to start. As with the Giraffe’s the keeper was very knowledgeable and the Meerkats – especially Chico kept us entertained with his antics!!
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Two of my Meerkats at Marwell |
After the talk had finished, the kids were complaining of rumbling tummies, so next door to Meerkat Manor is Cafe Graze, which is sat right on a viewing area, where you can see Ostrich, Zebra and Gazelle. In the summer we normally take a picnic as there are numerous picnic areas scattered through the park, but with the forecast of rain we decided to treat the children to a meal in the warm. Despite the park being quiet, they were serving a full hot menu and the kids opted for chicken goujons, chips and corn on the cob. They got a decent plate full of food which kept them going for the rest of the day and hubby and I opted for BLT sandwiches and a hot chocolate each. The meals came in at £19.10 with drinks, which I though was very reasonable for 5 of us. I was also impressed with their choice of highchairs and Eliza had her first experience in a Stokke Tripp Trapp, making me want one even more!
After lunch, we were pleased to see that the sun was finally starting to make an appearance and the park started getting busier (and warmer). It was lovely to see other families enjoying the wildlife, with their kids zooming around on scooters – I wish we had thought of that.
After stopping to see the Meerkats again, we soon spotted this handsome creature, who was busy prowling his territory……
and then moved on to see the Rhino, who were a little on the whiffy side!!
There were some animals that we were disappointed not to see, such as the Red Panda but it did not spoil our day, as despite the weather most animals could be seen either outside or in their shelters.
The Australian Bush walk had us mingling with Wallaby’s and a very noisy Kookaburra…..
which then lead us to Encounter Village, where we came up close and personal with cockroaches and a huge Stick Insect, which I do admit made me shudder! The zoo keepers were knowledgeable and engaging and happy to answer the myriad of questions being thrown at them.
After all the creepy crawlies, snakes and lizards on the Cold Blooded corner, we headed off in search of something a little more cuddly and entertaining – the monkeys. Walking through into their enclosures, we spotted a family of playful Otters, who were unfortunately too quick for us to catch on camera, however this Lemur distracted us and was acting the fool for and performing daring acrobatics – I am not sure if it was for our benefit or his friends, but we were entranced for a good 15 minutes!
And then we met the undisputed winners of Movember (sorry to all the men taking part out there), The Emperor Tamarins:
Next was the turn of the tropical zone, where it was so hot the camera (and hubby’s glasses steamed up), where we saw Tarantula’s, frogs, crocodiles, tropical plants and the most interesting Leaf-Cutter Ants which have a series a tubes running through the entire building so you can watch them at work. There is even a live webcam so you can watch at home!!
By now we were nearing the end of the park, and managed to get a glimpse of the Pygmy Hippo, before it darted at speed into its shelter after hearing the rustle of food, and some Kangaroos who were sheltering in their barn.
I cannot, however, finish this blogpost without introducing you to my very favourite creature at Marwell. Meet the Snow Leopards:
As we wandered back to the beginning of the park, we had a look at some of the Halloween activities that they had on, including Pumpkin carving and the Ghost Train. The train did cost extra at £2 per head, and it circumnavigates a large section of the park, so you can see some of the animals up even closer.
The children were exhausted by the end of the day, and if you find that the park is too big for little legs, they do do a Road Train which takes you on a free 40 minute tour of the park.
Marwell Wildlife Park is clean, tidy and well kept, plus it has plenty of clean toilet facilities dotted around, so you are never far from one when your child suddenly announces they need a “wee-wee”. There are two restaurants plus more kiosks dotted around the park, offering snacks, drinks and ice creams, although many are not open this time of year as they are not needed. There are even a number of children’s play areas, offering swings, slides and climbing frames in case your little monkey’s get bored of looking at animals.
The other thing I love about Marwell, is that you do not have to exit through the shop which means that you can miss out out on the chirrups of “I want this”, “I want that” which can be tough to say no too faced with row upon row of cute cuddly toys and beautiful ornaments.
Thank you to all the staff and animals at Marwell who made it a day out to remember and do so much for conservation too!!
I love Marwell- it was second choice on our list- we are off to Wookey hole- our first choice!! Must take the kids back to Marwell next summer- Syd loves animals- and I had forgotten just how fab it is until reading your wonderful post! 🙂 x
Thank you lovely, I am desperate to go to Wookey Hole and had that as my second choice, but I was worried about taking a buggy! I look forward to seeing how you get on xxx