Another great, family day out
As it was the last week of the Summer holidays and following the last few crazy months, we wanted to get out and about and have some fun before the girls go back to school. We wanted to go somewhere we hadn't been before and have a little trip away from our usual spots so we ended up choosing Chester Zoo. I have been there before many years ago but honestly, I couldn't remember it at all. We booked online to visit on Thursday and prayed the weather would be ok but we also decided that what will be, will be, so we dressed ready for rain just incase.
It rained - Ha Ha!
To be fair, it wasn't a wash out but it did rain. We didn't let it spoil our day though, being so prepared we were almost expecting it anyway. We had booked the time slot of 12pm to enter the zoo. We arrived around 11:45am and decided to eat our picnic in the car before we went in. It was lovely all sat together chatting in the car. We had kept it a surprise from the girls so they didn't even know we were going there until we arrived. Their little faces were so excited and eating a picnic in the car was like the best thing ever!
When we had finished, we locked up the car and headed to the entrance. Entering the park was really straight forward and just involved holding my phone under a scanner to read our QR code ticket. No contact with anyone, perfect. We headed to what looked like the quieter part of the zoo first, away from crowds of people and were impressed to see one way systems in place. We were also pleasantly surprised to see the number of hand gel stations dotted about. There were staff members placed throughout the park reminding people to walk one way, stay 2 metres apart and also asking people to queue, spaced out to enter indoor exhibits. There were signs in place telling the public when to wear a face covering. It was good to see the majority of people sticking to the rules, too!
We really couldn't rate Chester Zoo enough. The staff were very efficient with making sure everyone visiting was following the rules. As you know from my previous blogs, my husband suffers with anxiety and since Covid has been a thing, it has made him worse. Getting him to agree to visiting a zoo was a task but I assured him that as long as we did everything WE could to stay safe, we wouldn't have to worry about anything else. The zoo was wonderful though and it really made our visit a positive experience. They only allow so many visitors per day and so it is really easy to stay 2 metres away from other people there.
A little later we headed over to the busier side of the zoo. Erin's favourite animals were there - the giraffes - and her little face when she spotted them was priceless. Anyone who knows Erin will know that she is petrified of animals. So when we were in Spain last year and she asked if she could copy me and feed a giraffe from her hand, we were gobsmacked! And since then, she has loved giraffes. She was soooo happy to see them again yesterday and Chester have lots of them!
We saw many animals including elephants, rhinos, cheetahs, monkeys, lions and even penguins! It really is an amazing zoo. The enclosures are so big! And they are not overcrowded in any way. There were plenty of little snack huts around the zoo and lots of outdoor seating for people. The girls enjoyed an ice-cream while walking around and I enjoyed a hot chocolate (would have been even better had it've had Baileys in it!)
No trip to the zoo would ever be complete without a little look in a gift shop, would it?! We found a small one tucked away near the monkey enclosures and donned our masks for a little look. The girls decided on a new cuddly friend to take home, Erin chose a tiger and Kate chose a baby penguin. We headed for the exit and made our way back to the car. We actually had the most wonderful day and the girls had so much fun. We didn't let the weather spoil a minute of it and managed a cool count of 13,500 steps! The day was so good, we didn't want it to end. There really was only one more thing we could do to top it off...
Chippy tea! Mmmmm!!!
