Knowlsey - The Perfect Day Out For Kids Of Any Age (Knowsley Safari Park)

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Product:	Knowsley Safari Park
Date:	26/08/02 (1557 review reads)
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Advantages: Reasonable price, Easy to get to by motorway, Cheaper than a holiday to Kenya with less cahnce of being caught up in a bloody revolution!

Disadvantages: No cheetahs!

If you live in the North West, this is a great place to take the kids - they love it.

Easily located on the motorway netwrok, just 8 miles from Liverpool, the people of Manchester can reach it within 45 minutes by car.

It's also open all year round, entry costing a family of four just £20, with season tickets also available if you are likely to visit three times a year or more.

We waited until one of those bland days in the summer holidays before visiting - little sign of sun (I won't waste a sunny day, we don't get enough) and no sign of rain (so the animals will be out and about!).

As with other attractions, food is expensive, so take your own sandwiches and drinks - the kids see a picnic as being more exciting than an overpriced cold burger and I can always stretch to an ice cream!

We went midweek, and didn't have to queue to get in. The girl at the entry kiosk collected the money, made no attempt to sell me the guide book (£4) and waved us in.

Sensibly, before you start on the 5 mile drive, their are toilets - make sure everybody goes, as a moaning child who needs a wee can spoil the experience. Oh, and remove your car aerial.

Now you're in, driving along country lanes in the middle of the Knowsley estate wondering where the animals are!

The first ones we came across were the Rhea (I later discovered) ... being a mere town dweller with no experience of the wilds, we thought they were osteriches! Well they were big, had boney legs and long necks!

A slow drive to enjoy the scenery took us through a range of deer and various forms of antelope, the occasional car stopped in front of us to admire things, but there is pace to drive slowly past!

We were soon advised that we were entering tiger territory, and there they were! Two magnificent beasts stretching and yawning, from memory, the only animals in a cage, keeping them well away from the road!
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br>Next we took in the lions, over a dozen sleepily gazing at the pasing motorists. I asume they are well fed, as they paid us little interest except for one lioness who came right up to the car door! My central locking was firmly locked! We sat for several minutes admiring them.

My memory of what comes in what order is a little sketchy from here on, but after leaving the lions we found the wallabies, little larger than rabbits they were relatively inactive, making it good fun spotting them still at ground level amongst the trees! Apparently their are a handful of small colonies in the wild in the uk, having survived escapes from collectors!

Bison and buffalo were also seen (the kids didn't appreciate the suggestion that it would taste nice barbecued) as well as onyx with their magnificent horns.

The highlight of Knowsley for most people are the baboons. They are full of fun and full of mischief! Although the rules prohibit it, many visitors covered their cars in bread, attracting large numers of thse playful creatures on to their vehicles. We got a young chap with a bright red backside clinging on to the wing mirror for a few minutes, until he spotted a meal on a nearby Ford Focus! Tiny baboon babies road on the back of their parents in this area, leaping off to play with others - this was great fun! The park denies liability for any damage to your car, but damage is unlikely unless you leave your aerial up! If you want to avoid this bit you can, but personally, it's worth that small risk!

Camels and rhino mingled together, the rhino looking particularly impressive, and we got a bit braver as we slowly drove round, opening windows a little! This proved worth it when a llama stuck his head in to say hello, sending my 4 year old in to histerics!

Two osteriches (yes, real ones, not those rhea chaps!) paid us the same compliment, their thin necks reaching even further in to the car and adding to the fun.


African elephants, including exceptionally large babies (I am NOT using Johnson's baby wipes on these guys!) and two giraffe finished off the trek, together with some very cute (but apparently vicious) meercats straight from the Kalihari.

We then parked up and wolfed down the picnic and had a look round.

There is an excellent gift shop, although it is too small, eating places that we didn't need, an amusement arcade, a train trip (although it was closed) and a small fairground. Rides cost £1 each (although adults travel free on most of them if riding with a child of 5 or under) or unlimited rides can be purchased for £6 each.

There is a farmyard too, free to enter, with goats, pigs and Shetland ponies, as well as a small lake with a wide range of birdlife including some beautiful mute swans.

Unfortunately, we missed the seal shows which run throughout the day and cost nothing extra - but they are, by all accounts, excellent.

The reptile house is small, crowded and a bit frustrating - I suspect a nightmare on a busy day! But it does include iguanas, annacondas (BIG snakes) and a tarantula (big hairy spider that isn't a retile!!). Some other great exhibits too, but this place needs extending!

That was about it - a fabulous day out, strongly recommended! If you live west of Leeds, south of Lancaster, north of Stoke, make the effort - it's worth it!

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