A Day At The Zoo

On Wednesday, my family and I had a day trip to Chester Zoo. Being 18, I am the youngest member of my family and I enjoyed the day as much now as I would have done 15 years ago! Anyone who knows me personally could tell you I'm a definite animal lover- so a day at the zoo is literally my dream day. 

I'd advise prebooking your tickets online, as our e-tickets made our entrance to the park a much quicker process. There are always offers and deals available online too, have a look around before you turn up on the day. When we arrived we had a short walk from the grassy car park area to the main gates, but thankfully it was a dry and warm day- so no mud or raincoats. The surroundings really reminded me of the outskirts/drop off points at a festival, although I'd prefer the zoo any day!

As soon as you're in the park you're greeted by the elephants, and they have an enormous enclosure with a waterfall and scattered tree trunks, which adorably, the calves were playing with and pushing around.  All of the animals at the zoo have large, engaging spaces which is something I really care about- I wouldn't support a zoo if I felt at all unhappy about the animals' welfare. Interestingly, Chester Zoo is now a registered charity and conservation is seemingly very important to them and appears to be the ethos of the park. There are posters and staff members throughout the zoo encouraging visitors to sponsor and adopt animals, it's all very cute. 

After recently seeing Plant Of The Apes at the cinema, I was most excited on the day to see the chimpanzees. The fascinating animals are so human-like, I could've watched them all day. They have a jungle-gym climbing frame indoors, masses of outdoor space with hammocks and ropes, and probably a better life than me! I also loved seeing the lions and tigers, both of which were on the prowl and easily seen. Usually at zoos, the big cats are skulking around in the foliage out of sight.

Another bonus for me was the gift shop which was surprisingly affordable and had an array of animal themed items. From stuffed toys to pens and pencils, there's something for all ages and budgets if you fancy taking something home. So many items are under £5, it's perfect for spending your pocket money or treating young (or older!) family members to a little gift.

I am also proud to say that I faced my fears on the day and walked through the famous bat house. Honestly, it was terrifying and I don't know how I did it. The room is very dark, and the bats fly uncomfortably close to you as you walk (or in my case stumble) through a narrow tunnel of hell. It was all worth it though when ITV's The Speakmans tweeted me to congratulate me on overcoming my fears! 

I'll leave a couple of pictures below which I took on the day, hope you've enjoyed this little insight into my trip!

My sister and I pretending to be zoo keepers. For those interested- my jeans are River Island, and my shirt and tee are from Topman. 

p.s. if you follow me on twitter you'll already know that I just received my A Level results, and achieved an A*, A and B! This means I have gained a place at university this September, very exciting and daunting... Of course I'll let you all know how I get on!