Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens Review

Cotswold Wildlife Park
and Gardens

www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk

Reviewed by Priya Bransfield

Finding the park is easy with well posted signs showing the way from some distance away. We travelled to the park on Sunday and although the weather was a touch rainy, it was still busy when we arrived. The meet and greet at the gate was excellent and very efficient; we didn’t sit a queue for long and were well directed to decent parking location. The staff in the car park were very polite and helpful and suggested the best way to enjoy the park. We had taken our dog, a 3 year old German Shepard, with us as the park was identified as being dog friendly. This was clearly the case throughout. There were obvious areas such as the tropical Madagascar zone, the African walkthrough and some of the internal exhibitions which would have been very unsuitable for dogs, but nearly all the open air areas were available for dogs to access as well. The walkways are very wide and so in spite of it being busy it never felt congested and there were a large number of other dog walkers there as well.

Based around the main reception and the large house, where the restaurant is, there were a large number of picnic and rest areas with ample room and a generous spattering of dog bowls for water. The amenities were excellent throughout the park.

We were able to enjoy all the main areas with our dog including the train, which was the highlight of our day and the experience our young 2½ year old son enjoyed the most.

The farm areas were highly interactive and this was really exciting for our son, and also for our dog, who as able to meet some of the animals through the fences. Highlights of the trip included the lions that seemed keen to meet our dog and also the wolves which, although we could not take the dog into, were fantastic to see and hear. Experiencing these beautiful animals from such a close (but very safe) distance was an experience that we will never forget.

We enjoyed an excellent lunch in the restaurant which was reasonably priced and definitely passed the taste test of our little boy. We stayed for the whole day, revisiting some exhibitions again as we were really enjoying the outdoor experience it offers. Also being able to include our dog meant we could spend a lot of time together and socialising with other dogs as well.

Overall we thought the experience was absolutely excellent and the dog friendly aspect of the park made it even better. It was an excellent day out and we would highly recommend attending the park with, or without, a dog without any hesitation.

We will definitely be returning in the summertime with our friends!

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost £10 (child), £15 (adult) or £9.50 and £14 if booked online. Under 3’s are free.

For more information you can visit www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk.

Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens, Bradwell Grove, Burford, Oxfordshire, OX18 4JP