Drusillas Park Review
Drusillas Park
Alfriston, East Sussex
Reviewed by Amanda Hayes
Drusillas Park is located just 200 metres off the A22 towards Eastbourne and is signposted with a traditional brown sign off the roundabout. There is ample free parking right outside the park including plenty of disabled spaces.
Entrance is quick and easy and with several tickets booths open and even on the school holiday date that we visited there were no queues. The ticket area leads straight into the zoo with a selection of animals such as mice, snakes and tortoises. Every single animal has a viewing step or platform so that smaller children can look for themselves and get a good view. This is an excellent idea and really saved my back from continuously picking up my young son.
The park is laid out extremely well and is meticulously clean, there were staff continuously cleaning up dropped litter and the paths were perfect for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Even when there were stairs, ramps are provided as an alternative and they were plenty wide enough. The first half concentrates on the zoo area and although you can take a shortcut directly to the play areas I recommend having a thorough look round the zoo first. There are loads of animals to look at, the following are just a small section, Penguins, Serval’s, Monkeys and Meercats. All the animals seemed very well looked after and their homes very clean with plenty of water. There is also a pets section with traditional pets such as rabbits and some not quite so traditional such as snakes. For each animal it gives an indication of how difficult it is to look after and how expensive they are to buy and keep. The nocturnal house was excellent with bats flying freely round the room so you got to see them up close. The pens are set up so that you can see the animals really clearly and there is plenty of viewing space. The way the park is laid out means that there is only really one way round which is clearly marked. This is perfect for families with young children as it’s very difficult to get lost.
At the end of the zoo area is a huge adventure playground and café area. All the children were having a fantastic time with a massive selection of slides climbing frames and various other play equipment to use up their energy. There are some outdoor tables outside the café but they were not to be used for picnics. A separate area is set aside for this, unfortunately outside of the adventure playground but there are some benches to sit on and wait while your child plays as there is so much to do here you could be waiting a long time.
Through a small shop takes you to the large picnic area, shop, food kiosk and the Thomas the Tank engine station, the highlight of my son’s day being a ride on the train. It’s a fairly short ride but with train rides being included within the entry fee you can go on as many times as you like. Prices at the various food outlets are very reasonable with hot food starting at £3.99 and hot drinks from £1.70.
Across the train tracks is Hello Kitty land with three excellent rides for younger children, a sky lift, motorised cars and a teacup ride. By the time we got round to this area of the park the visitors were thinning out and much to my sons delight we got to ride on these several times each, as similar to the train rides the Hello Kitty rides are included in the entrance fee.
A very tired but very happy family left Drusillas yesterday, via the well-stocked gift shop where we brought several Thomas the Tank items to take home.
I highly recommend Drusilla’s Park. It’s clean, well laid out, has stacks to see and do and is good value for money. I wouldn’t hesitate to visit again.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £10.50 to £18, annual passes from £62 to £74.
For more information or to book tickets visit www.drusillas.co.uk.
