Yorkshire Wildlife Park: ‘I went on holiday to Doncaster - for a wildlife adventure’
The (now) city of Doncaster may be renowned for its horse racing and locals Jeremy Clarkson, Yung Blud and Louis Tomlinson - but it's also the location of one of the UK’s top attractions.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster is the ‘UK’s no.1 walk-through wildlife adventure.’
Our reporter Sophie Mei Lan Malin went on a trip to one of Yorkshire’s best places to go.
I dragged our three reluctant children and one excited toddler for a day out to Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
As soon as we arrived I felt the holiday park vibe as if I’d stepped into a resort abroad.
There’s a modern looking hotel called The Hive, glass fronted shops, and a welcoming entrance. It looks more like a state-of-the-art theme park than a wildlife safari.
We purchased our tickets at the desk, and made our way in.
YWP is spread across 260 acres with a 1.5 mile path around. It is home to almost 500 animals.
As a large family, we began our journey around together, but as the older teens wanted to run ahead while the toddler played soft play, we arranged to meet up at the end.
There’s monkeys to see from the soft play area. Then around the park you're in the presence of giraffes, tigers, lions, polar bears, and hundreds of other species.
I’d brought a picnic for lunch which me and the toddler had while the older children queued for burgers.
It’s a busy place but there are lots of places to eat and drink, as well as picnic tables. There’s also a range of kiosks and plenty of toilets.
As we were having a late lunch, there was very little food left in the cafe. It’s all standard canteen staples such as sandwiches and quiche.
We then finished our day walking through Pangea, which includes 30 moving life-size dinosaurs. Here we met up with the older kids.
After their initial reluctance, the teens now had beaming smiles on their faces and recalled some of the animals they’d spotted and inevitably had posted videos of on Snapchat.
We all felt really refreshed by the time we left. I felt I’d had a mini break and I vowed to return for a couple of nights next time.
You can camp at Camp Lion or stay in a room at The Hive where you can see into the park.
Our final adventure was to get the kids out of the park through the gift shop without purchasing anything.
It was a brilliant jam packed day-out yet it felt relaxing with plenty to do at your own pace.
I would definitely recommend keeping costs down and taking a picnic then enjoying a treat at one of the coffee stops rather than queueing in the main indoor cafes.