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The Birmingham Hippodrome (Birmingham)
by ladyofcampfires One thing I do like about where I live is that both Birmingham and Wolverhampton are within very easy reach via train meaning I have easy access to a good number of venues hosting a varied range of live events. One of these venues I have been to a fair few times is The Birmingham Hippodrome, my most recent visit being last night to see ... the hilarious Kevin Bridges. The Hippodrome is located in Birmingham's city centre and is just a ten minute walk from New Street Train Station (which is pretty much a walk down a straight road, turn left, a walk down another straight road). There are a good number of bus stops around the venue as well as a car park a few minutes' walk away meaning it's an easy place to get to regardless of your method of travel. The downside to the location of this venue is the fact that there are a number of nightclubs surrounding it meaning coming out of the venue late at night usually leads to bumping into one or two dodgy drunken characters! There have been a few occasions when I've been stood outside this place having a cigarette when a woman on her own has asked to stand with me which pretty much sums up how safe this area feels at night! Fortunately, The Hippodrome isn't the type of place where you end up stood in a queue outside waiting for doors to open. There are a number of bars and restaurants within the building which tend to open early afternoon meaning if you arrive at the venue an hour or so before the show starts then you can just go inside, sit down and wait. One thing I like about this venue is that I don't recall ever being searched on my way in so I've had no problems taking in bottles of Pepsi and my own nibbles which saves you a fair bit of money. Upon stepping inside this huge, glass fronted building you're greeted by a spacious room where a ticket collection desk is located as well as a number of members of staff who will assist you if required. There's a couple of steps which then take you to the first bar area of the venue as well as stair cases leading up to the higher levels of the building and a lift if one should be needed. This area is what I refer to as 'the holding pen'. Littered with tables and soft, red velvet seats, this is where everyone gathers before entering the performance area. There is normally a sign around this area too which informs everyone what the time the performance you're here to see will finish which is a handy bit of information. Toilets are easily located wherever you are in the building it seems which is a good job really considering each toilet block only has around ten cubicles within it. Whilst this does mean it's quite easily possible to spend the entire interval at a show waiting for the loo (on one occasion I didn't actually manage to get in until the show had started again) the toilets are at least in a clean and respectable condition constantly. They always smell fresh, are stocked up with toilet roll and hand wash and have modern hand dryers so you're not waiting forever and a day for your washed hands to dry. The sanitary product dispensing machine in the toilets is remarkably cheap as well. I have a strange habit of looking at these things to see where charges the most outrages prices for a tampon for some reason, they're only 40p here! When the show is about to start you're taken to your seats in the 1935 seater venue. Seats are in two sections, stalls (ground floor) and middle circle (first floor). The seating is on the middle circle is quite steep and from past experience I'd say if you can't get anything closer than row L in the stalls then you'll probably have a less restricted view up in the middle circle. In fact, unless seats are available in the first five or so rows in the stalls I normally opt for the middle circle as I just find the seats better. Disabled seating is offered on the front row of the middle circle and there are steps leading up to the rest of the rows. I find the seats are comfortable and offer plenty of leg room for me however if you're over 6ft you'll probably spent the evening with your knees touching the seat in front of you up in the middle circle. There are always members of staff on the doors entering the seating area who will help you locate your seats although as long as you're in the right bit (stalls or middle circle) you'll probably be able to work that out for yourself as each row is clearly lettered and each seat clearly numbered. Seats are, again, covered in red velvet whilst the white high ceilings offer some lovely engravings and big, extravagant looking golden chandeliers and the inside is just generally very pleasant a little bit posh looking. All seats are obviously facing the decent sized stage which offers a swift moving curtain for non-fuss setting changes during plays and the likes. Lightening here always goes hand in hand with the performance you're watching and I've never experienced a problem with sound in this venue either. In general, it's a good venue which offers an enjoy surrounding to what a, hopefully, enjoyable show. The Hippodrome hosts a number of shows from stand-up comedy to ballet, opera, musicals and dance shows. Full listings of upcoming shows can be found on their website www.birminghamhippodrome.com and packages can be often be bought for each show combining three course dinners and show tickets. The venue also has a few box seats which can be bought (at a high price) too. All in all, I recommend visiting the Hippodrome for an entertaining night out. Should a show I attend here ever disappoint me it's purely down the show rather than the venue so I never have a problem visiting here and always keep an eye out on their website for new listings which may interest me. Read the complete review |
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National Seal Sanctuary (Helston)
by Huomenna As a child I went to the Gweek seal sanctuary a number of times with my Dad and on a recent trip to Cornwall this past August I took my boyfriend along for a visit. What is is and where? Now known as the Cornish seal sanctuary it is located in Gweek (suprisingly enough) by the Lizard peninsula in south Cornwall. They ... rescue seals and sea lions etc - rehabilitating them where possible for release back into the wild. What animals are there? They have seals, sealions, penguins and otters on the lower level of the sanctuary (the whole place is perched on a slope), at the top are some farm animals including goats and a sheep called Patrik. Getting around: There is a large carpark available, which again is steeply sloped so make sure your handbrake is in full working order! You then walk down to the entrance lobby to get your tickets and proceed out the back where a tarmac road ascends slightly - you can get on the back of a 4x4 driven trailer here if you want or you can walk along it. A little up the road you can turn up a small woodland path - this is very steep and quite slippery at times (when we got to the end of it we saw someone sitting on the ground as they'd managed to lose their footing and twist their ankle) but you might see some birds. We came across a rather tame robin who was quite happy to sit still and very close to is while I took a couple of photos. If you go along the woodland path, you will exit it at the very top of the sanctuary where the farm animals are - here you walk along past the sheep and goats, before walking down a steeply sloping field to the lower half of the sanctuary. Down at the bottom there are properly defined paths the weave around all the different seal and sea lion pools and along to the otters at the far end. The penguin enclosure can be viewed from ground level or under water and the rehabilitation pools have a higher viewing platform so you can look down on the pools from above. As you can probably tell alot of the sanctuary, isn't really wheel chair friendly - you should be able to get around the lower level without issue, but then I personally feel like you'd be missing out on a good third of it which seems a shame. That said I don't see how they can do much to improve disabled access due to the location. Eating: Down the bottom of the sanctuary around the main hub of pools was a small cafe - the had a chilled cabinet containing a selection of drinks, fruit and sandwiches and I think there was a small range of warm foods available to order. As we just purchased some bottled drinks I didn't look into it to closely. The drinks were as expensive as you'd expect in this sort of establishment - over £1 for a bottle. There were also a couple of vending machines near the entrance. Shopping: There is a small gift shop next to the cafe - I didn't venture in on my most recent visit, but I remember my dad buying me a dolphin tshirt from there when I was a child. There's another gift shop by the entrance/exit which you have to go through to leave. Prices didn't necessarily seem unreasonable - my boyfriend purchased a sterling silver neckglass and a little glass octopus for his mum's birthday from here which came to £23.50. As he'd spent over £20 he got to chose either a free cuddly penguin or dolphin (he went for the penguin). Entrance fee: Standard fees are pretty expensive at a whopping £14.40 for a single adult - there are discounts for students, children and concessions, but you can get even more discount. To be honest you should never have to pay full price - if you book online you get 40% off and if you don't have access to the internet you can cut discount vouchers out of the local papers and leaflets. My experience: Luckily when we went it was a lovely day weather wise so we could properly enjoy walking around. The otters were fun to look at - especially when one woke up and started licking the other in a rather intimate place only for a child to ask 'mummy what's it doing?' and everyone else had to supress a little giggle. It was also pretty funny watching the seals in the rehab pools sleeping in the most awkward and uncomfortable looking positions with their mouths wide open. We also got to listen to a talk on the penguins which was pretty interesting - especially when they said how fussy penguins are when it comes to fish and how they're just not interested if if not quite right. If you're a bit on the unfit side or maybe getting on a bit, you could struggle to get around in places - my nan can walk without a stick, but I know she wouldn't have managed to get up at least one of the tarmaced slopes due to the steep incline. Overall I do recommend it - the entrance fee is excessive at full price, but the discounts make it reasonable. Access could be an issue for quite a few people, but the sanctuary can't do much about the location and the views are stunning. Read the complete review |
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Cotswold Wild life park (Burford)
by MelissaRuth For forty years the Cotswold Wildlife Park has been a place that I have periodically visited and it was definitely popular with my primary school as the location for school trips, to the extent that by the time I was eleven or twelve I was pretty fed up with going here as I knew it inside out. When I had my own children the visits ... recommenced and our latest visit was on a beautiful Friday in August when we introduced my 2 year old nephew to the animals here. He absolutely loved it and ran excitedly towards the different animal encounters. It maintained his interest throughout the whole day and he didn't even need to have a sleep as he was so busy. My own teenagers still enjoy it, probably as we didn't overkill it for them with so many visits as I was subjected too, and it was their choice for where we took their cousin for a day out. I think they would have still been happy to go here again even without the attraction of entertaining a little one. **Location** The Cotswold Wildlife Park as its name suggests is in the beautiful Cotswold region of England about a 30 minute drive to the West of Oxford and near the pretty town of Burford. It is located on the A361 and also is easily reached by car from Swindon and Cheltenham. The park is not serviced by a bus route. As you enter the park you will drive past llamas and antelopes before reaching two pay kiosks. Make sure you have your money or cards in the car with you and not in the boot as you pay from the car before parking. It was a busy day as we arrived just after the ten o'clock opening time but the queue quickly dispatched as extra mobile ticket sellers were also taking entrance money. We were then directed to the nearly carpark. This is a large grassy area of parkland with lots of large shady trees and compacted earth driveways across it. I'm not sure how this would fare in wet weather, but there was no sign of mud and churned up ground so I assume it has not been a problem. There is a smaller paved carpark too which was being used for people with mobility difficulties but maybe is used for others on quieter days too. **What is there to see* Once parked there are several different ways into the park so no matter which area of the park you are in you are not far from your car so it is easy to pop back for picnics etc. As you have paid before parking there is no issue with re-entry to do this. The parkland where the animals are housed is based around a large Cotswold stone country house. The cafe and a brass rubbing centre occupy the ground floor of the house. One of the things that I was so pleased to see and hadn't remembered as vividly from past visits was the beautiful planting that exists throughout the park. I was almost more interested in looking at the bright and cheerful displays of flowers that existed throughout the park than the animals - they obviously take a huge pride in the appearance of the park; there are great swathes of tall beautiful but not too formal plants. Our first stop was the rhinos as these were the animals that my nephew was adamant that he had come to see. They share a large open area with the zebras which would once probably have been the front lawn of the house. There are three rhinos and quite a few zebras including a cute two month old foal. The Cotswold Wildlife Park is famous for its collection of four giant tortoises who live near the rhinos and were surprisingly active during this visit. One is new, but the other three have been at the park longer than I've been visiting and I don't think they've changed at all! Continuing on we passed camels as we headed for the lion enclosure where you have a great view of the lion and lioness through glass panels. Giraffes are a new addition to the park since we were last there and I was very impressed with the visitor experience of their home. A walkway has been built alongside the enclosure leading you up to a height where you are eye level with these tall beasts, both indoors and outdoors. I have never been so close to a giraffe's head before. Cheetahs are the last animal in this area and by now you are at the far side of the rhino lawn and have a great view of the house with the wildlife in front. Ostriches are on your route back towards the house and we then diverted into a woodland walk area where there were many types of exotic looking ducks as well as the more colourful flamingos and even some 'big bad wolves' that our little 2 year old was so impressed with that we had to make a return visit. Wallabies, tapirs and some strange pig type animals were all also living in this section of the park. Next came the children's farm area where we spent a long time and it was definitely the favourite part for a small boy. Indoors there are large pens with rabbits , guinea pigs and chickens and cows. These animals are free to wander into their outside pens but as it was so hot we found them inside where it was cooler. Outside you can head into the goats area and play with the goats. Lots of small kids (goat and human) seemed to be having great fun running and rolling down the little hillocks in this section. Shetland ponies, donkeys and some incredibly noisy pigs who had spotted lunch on its way were also popular here with the children. Signs encourage handwashing at the sink provided after touching the animals. Back in the stone outbuildings of the house we had a quick trip into the reptile house spotting an assortment of iguanas, snakes including the most deadly black mamba, baby crocodiles and two large crocs. As it was so hot the only other indoor area that we chose to go in was to see the bats who occupy one of the barns, but because it was so dark we found it quite hard to see them. I usually enjoy the insect house even though it is fairly small. I'm fascinated by the ants as they carry their enormous cargo of leaves in a long procession across their tank and also love to see the tarantulas and other spiders and butterflies. I think there is also an aquarium. In the centre of this courtyard area are more tortoises but of a much smaller variety this time and also some gibbons that were great fun to see leaping around. The walled garden was another area that we definitely didn't want to miss as the penguins live here with feeding times at 11.00 and 4.00 and they're always fun to watch diving in and swimming. Meercats and birds are also to be found here and as we entered one walk through aviary we were surprised to find a gorgeous little owl right in front of us just waiting to pose to have his photo taken. This garden is one of the most spectacular from a horticulture point of view. Spiky cactus and hot bright colours are visually striking as well as lush lawns and foliage so I spent quite a bit of time photographing these. Quite a few of the smaller monkey species are popular as you leave the far end of the walled garden and then a lemur walk where you can get right up close to the lemurs, if they'll let you, as you wander through their habitat. We were told that as it was after lunch nap time and warm the lemurs weren't quite as active as normal, but we were happy with the ones we saw. A mother was sitting nursing twin babies and then decided to walk off with one clinging to her front and one to her back; this definitely needed to be photographed. We also saw one leap right up onto the wooden rail that edged the path giving the people walking past a start. Be warned that this closes at 3.30 so don't leave it too late as it would be shame to miss this. It will also be busy at 12.00 when the keepers give a talk. After seven hours worth of activity on a perfect summers day we were too tired to visit one area of the park where if I remember correctly there are large birds such as vultures and monkeys as well as the train station. I can't believe we missed going on the train, but we did wave to it many times throughout the course of the day as it wound its way around the various areas of the park. It has 4 quite large coaches so appeared to fit lots of people on at any time, but didn't have room for buggies so we would have to have left this behind at the station. It costs £1 per person for a trip around the park. **Need an icecream** A day at the zoo wouldn't be complete without an icecream and these along with other drinks and snacks can be brought from the cafe in the main house, a kiosk just outside the walled garden and one near the camels. There were icecream van type soft cornets or assorted lollies and I had a really nice tub of a locally made icecream. I failed to take notice of the prices though as this was Grandpa's treat. The cafe sells a good selection of food with things like sausage and chips for about £6 and a variety of sandwiches. The menu looked to have a reasonable selection at prices that I would have been happy to have paid had we not have taken a picnic. Tea was £1.30 and coffee £2.00 with fridges of cold drinks with juice cartons and fizzy drinks from a dispenser at £1.50 and also bottles of alcoholic drinks such as cider at £2.80. There appeared to be plenty of seating inside and wooden benches outside which could be used for those eating in the cafe or for picnics. It is an ideal place to take a picnic as there is no shortage of pretty shady spots to sit out on the grass and throughout the park there are benches to stop at. **Other facilities** Toilets: we found these located in the same areas as the food kiosks. The ones I used at the cafe and walled garden were clean and I didn't have to queue despite it being a busy day at the park. They contained baby change facilities. My Dad reported that the mens at the cafe smelt really foul towards the end of the day. Paths: pathways generally are a compacted sandy coloured material which was quite smooth and easy to push the buggy over. We saw a couple of wheelchairs and a mobility scooter moving around without difficulty. The Young Disabled Unit that I used to work in came for trips here regularly as they found the facilities to be good and as there are no hills at all it is easy to access all areas. Wheelchairs can be loaned from the Manor House. Shop: on this visit we avoided this at all costs as we didn't think we'd ever get my nephew out again as he loves toy animals and the shop is full of those. The shop is close to the carpark and very large. It also usually has clothing items and other souvenirs such as T towels and ornaments with animal themes. Playground: I've always liked this playground that sits next to the cafe. My girls were disappointed that the slide that they thought was huge has shrunk and had to be persuaded that they had grown. It was also taped off, presumably because it is metal and it was very hot. There is also one of those old style rocking horses that I used to love and a circular climbing net as well as swings and much more. A carousel ride costs 80p for a very short turn. **Admission* The park is open from 10am and all visitors must leave by 6 although most facilities close at 5. Last admission is at 4.30. From October to April it closes at 5 or dusk. Adults cost £13 and children 3 - 16 and OAPs cost £9 My daughter has a Blue Peter badge and this is one of the places that she was able to get in for free. Unfortunately they do not accept Tesco day out tokens for payment. People who are blind do not have to pay. There doesn't appear to be a family ticket but you can buy season tickets with a family one costing £220. These prices seem very reasonable for a full day out. Most of the viewing areas are outdoors so I would recommend going on a dry day to make the most of your money. Address: Bradwell Grove, Burford, Oxfordshire. OX18 More details can be found at http://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/in​dex.htm **Summary** The Cotswold wildlife Park is not a huge zoo and doesn't have every type of animals, for instance there are no elephants, tigers or bears. However it does have plenty of animals to keep you amused for a full day out and all in picturesque surroundings. The enclosures seem to be a reasonable size and I didn't have any concerns about the welfare of the animals. It is perfect for small children and adults who will also appreciate the surroundings and is also recommended for older people and those with mobility problems as the area to walk is not vast as it is with larger zoos such as Whipsnade. Most age groups from toddler to teen, parents and grandparents were present in our party and we all thoroughly enjoyed our day out here. Despite the weather now being a bit cooler The Cotswold Wildlife Park would make a great day out at any time of year. This review also appears on Ciao under my same user name, Melissa Ruth. Read the complete review |
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