| Product: |
Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park |
| Date: |
17/07/08 (84 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: A fun packed day out for the whole family.
Disadvantages: A bit expensive.
If you are looking for a great fun filled, family day out and are in the area of Stirling in Scotland then Blair Drummond Safari Park is well worth a visit. It has an abundance of attractions to keep you and your family busy for the whole day. Situated less than an hour's drive from Glasgow and Edinburgh Blair Drummond is very well signposted and easy to find once you take junction 10 off the if travelling by car and if travelling by bus or train then there is a regular bus service from Stirling.
==What's in the Park==
On entering the park you can either following the road round the perimeter of the park, which takes you to the car park and picnic areas or alternatively you can take the slow drive through the impressive animal reserves. A drive through the animal reserves took us approximately 20 minutes driving slowly at a speed of 10 miles an hour and stopping to have a good look at the many different species. It was quite bizarre driving through a fenced off area surrounded by all the many different wild animals, most of which are not even native to this country. They all seemed to be completely unaware of our presence and indeed the presence of the many other cars. Care must be taken at all times as the animals just wander across the road without looking! Windows in vehicles must be kept up at all times even although the urge to wind down your window and take pictures of these beautiful animals is very strong. The reserves are patrolled by rangers in big 4 x 4s who seem to have eyes in the back of their heads and are alongside your car before you can lower you window more than an inch, but then I suppose they are just doing their job and are just looking after the visitors. Some of the animals you will encounter wandering around the reserves are antelopes, camels, bison, deer, rhinos, zebras and lions. We were particularly impressed by the rhinos and bison, who wandered extremely close to the car, the sheer size of them was awesome and they had young with them, who were still obviously very dependent on their mothers. The many different species of deer were also very impressive and again the young were so cute, there were many tiny fawns running around, they were beautiful. The lion reserve is just amazing, I love to watch the pride just lazing around or playing, they seem to be very playful, happy animals and enjoy wandering close to the cars. The roar from the lions is a very chilling sound, it seems to come from low in the lion's throat and it is so low and deep it almost seems to make the ground quiver. If you enjoy driving through the reserves don't be too disappointed when it's over as you can drive through as many times as you need to, which is good because you seem to see different animals each time you drive through.
Once finished enjoying the reserves you drive along the one-way system around the park again taking you to the car parking and picnic areas. Plenty parking spaces and plenty picnic tables make it fairly easy to find the perfect spot for your lunch. You can either park your car in the car park or alternatively you can pick a table and park along side it, which I think is a great idea to save having to carry your picnic any great distance. There is also a well laid out barbeque area where all you need is your own food and tools to cook on one of the twenty or so park barbeques. Beside the barbeque area there is also a large area with picnic tables undercover, which came in very handy for us as the rain was quite heavy when we decided to have our picnic.
Once fuelled up and ready to go again you can have a pleasant wander around the animal enclosures where you will see bears, giraffes, Scotland's only elephants, otters, meerkats, penguins, ostriches and tigers, there is also a viewing platform overlooking the lion reserve where you can get another good view of the lions at play.
One of my favourite parts of the visit to the park was the sea lion show. There are 4 Californian Sea Lions resident in the park and are all very good at showing off for the audience. Well done to the 2 who performed for us, I was very, very impressed and the kids loved them. There are usually 4 shows per day and the times of these are shown on boards around the park. The show lasted for approximately 30 minutes.
Another show worth a visit is the Bird Of Prey display. Again another very impressive display, both by the handlers and such birds as the harris hawk, buzzards and falcons, there are also different species of owls and vultures. Again there are usually 3 shows per day dependent on weather and these are also advertised on boards around the park.
Situated close to the car park is the giant astraglide slide and amusement area with a few carnival style rides such as a carousel and dodgems, there is also a bouncy castle. These can all be accessed at an extra charge by purchasing tokens. Also situated in this area is The Chakula Grill where you can purchase lovely barbequed food, if you don't want to cook your own. If it is a meal you are after then why not visit the Watering Hole Bar where lovely food and refreshments are served all day, from full meals to light snacks, with hot drinks to drinks from the bar. If dining in the Watering Hole you can either sit inside the large restaurant area, where there are plenty tables or if the weather is good then there is a lovely patio area pleasantly situated alongside the very large Wooden Castle and Pirate Ship Adventure Playground areas, which are suitable for all age groups. You can sit and enjoy a light refreshment whilst the little ones play in the park.
At the other side of the park (and if you still have any energy left!) there is a large lake area where you can enjoy a relaxing boat trip to Chimpanzee Island. The chimps don't like the water so they are allowed to roam freely on the island without any fear of them escaping. They are very good at showing off for the visitors. The boat hold around 50 people and the trip takes about 15 minutes. Beside the boat docking area is a lovely gift shop selling many different items from the cheap to the expensive so you can take a little souvenir home to remind you of the lovely day you had at Blair Drummond.
Also on the lake are 5 seater pedals boats for you to have fun splashing around in, or if you have the nerve why not try the "Flying Fox", a zip wire across the lake (this has height restrictions in place).
Across a footbridge, at the other side of the lake, is the newly constructed Lemur Land, where you will find ringtail, brown and red-ruffed Lemurs. They have a great time climbing through the tall, bushy trees and swinging and climbing on the many ropes there for them to play on.
==My Impression==
All in all we had a super day out, with plenty to keep the entire family, young and old, occupied for the whole day. I would recommend if you are visiting the park to try and go on a dry day. The only thing that spoilt our day was the fact that it rained on and off and was very heavy at times, which meant we had to cut down on some of our wandering and the zip wire was also closed due to the weather and of course the kids didn't get as long as they would have hoped at the playground.
There were plenty clean, well kept toilet blocks well appointed around the park, with baby changing facilities.
Overall the park was very clean and the animals are obviously well looked after with a good variety of species to see. Good facilities with everything you could need for a good day out.
==Prices==
Adults £10.50
Children (3-14 inclusive) £7.00
Senior Citizens £7.00
Carers Accompanying Special Needs £7.00 (ID is required)
Children Under 3 free
Glossy Guide Book £2.50 (worth buying)
==Opening Times==
The park is open daily from 10am - 5.30pm with the last admission being 4.30pm
Prices are quite expensive but it is certainly a really great day out.
Also posted elsewhere under the same name.
İlel1969
Summary: Well worth a visit!
|
|
