How was your Easter weekend? If you were also in Britain at the time then you’d have been blessed with an opportunity to enjoy the glorious sunshine that almost dominated the extended weekend.
I’m pleased to say that I was active almost every day (everyone needs a rest day). This has by far been the busiest Easter weekend of my adult life. It all began with a trip to the local zoo…
If you’re vaguely aware of the region I live in, you’d be forgiven for assuming I’m here to talk about Bristol Zoo… I went there many years ago. It was great but, on this occasion, I wanted to try another location in a more appeasing countryside setting.
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm is only a stone’s thrown from the M5 motorway, with the River Severn over the other side of the westward hills. It’s a far cry from the (almost) city center setting of the main regional animal attraction. Residents of North Somerset appear to know it well while, for the rest, it’s either unknown or somewhere along the to-do list.
To put it briefly; there are a lot of animals here that you would not see at Bristol Zoo (many of which I haven’t photographed). Likewise, there are a couple (I’m thinking of the penguins and ‘small monkeys’) that you shouldn’t expect to see at Noah’s Ark.
Situated close to the Gordano Valley, this zoo farm is in an ideal position for an attraction that allows both its residents and visitors to explore without constriction. My distant memories of Bristol Zoo are of narrow walkways and suffocatingly small reptile-filled buildings that were an absolute nightmare to attempt to navigate on even a typical weekend. Noah’s Ark could look busy but still feel anything but full.
First sighting from the car park.
I believe the entry fee (£16 per adult) is around the same as you would pay elsewhere. Car parking here is free; you just have to suffice with a little mud under certain weather conditions (but this is a zoo-farm and not a museum).
I uploaded a total of thirty-five photos to my Flickr album; only a fraction of which are featured here. If you’d like to see the complete set then, please, click here. Some photos were initially taken with my smartphone and so I do apologize for the variation in quality.
I was very grateful to be able to share this experience with a close friend. It was a first occasion for the both of us and, out of pure curiosity, I feel a re-visit to Bristol Zoo some time is in order (although, perhaps I should take a day off work, avoid the summer holidays and keep my fingers crossed before that day comes…). We got to enjoy a ‘bird show’ (probably called falconry – but no, please don’t ask me if I’m related to a woman called Jemima!!) before leaving and there was an elephant-feeding phase during the typical lunch hour.
When you do go to Noah’s Ark (because I highly recommend it), be sure to ask for or accept a guide map when offered one with your ticket as you’ll probably find, as I did, a £2 discount voucher to redeem against the purchase of your return ticket!
Tomorrow, I’ll write about my exploits on Easter Sunday (I took the Saturday off).
Thanks for reading.
[Insert generic meerkat-related joke with added Russian accent, here.]