| Product: |
Chestnut Centre Otter and Owl Sanctuary (Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire) |
| Date: |
31/12/07 (259 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Lots of wildlife
Disadvantages: Admission charges, an artificially created enviroment
The Chestnut Centre is a wildlife sanctuary located in Derbyshire near Chapel en le Frith. I had seen the signs to this attraction many times on my regular visits to Castleton and I decided to pay it a visit one Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago.
The Chestnut Centre opened in 1984 and covers 50 acres of open land. Within this there are various woodland trails. As you follow the sign posted footpath trails through the woods and across the open grassland you are likely to see several Fallow Deer. There distinctive Deer with their tiny white spots roam freely around the park and can often be found in quite large groups. We saw three separate groups within quite a short space of time, the largest of which contained about twenty of them.
The Chestnut Centre takes its name from a large Horse Chestnut tree within the grounds that was planted in 1838 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria. It is owned by the Heap family who also own he New Forest Wildlife Centre in the New Forest and the Battersea Park Children's Zoo in London.
This place is especially famous for its Otters and it actually has one of the largest collections of Otters in Europe. There are various different species of Otter here, including the only Giant Otter in captivity in the UK. These Otters are within enclosures in the park but these are not like the standard cages that you tend to find in zoos, they are actually quite spacious and contain areas of trees, bushes and shrubs where the animals can seek cover. Whilst some of the Otters have been born here, many others, especially the European Otters have been brought here from elsewhere, often from less desirable surroundings. Some of these animals are eventually released back into the wild.
In addition to the Otters there are also fifteen different species of Owl as well as other birds of prey like Buzzards. Other animals within the park include Pine Martins, Foxes and Scottish Wildcats.
The Chestnut Centre puts a huge emphasis on education and welcomes groups of school children throughout the week, when the staff are always on hand to answer any questions that might be thrown at them.
There is a large car park and a gift shop.
During Autumn and Winter it is open daily, except during January, when it is only open at weekends. During this period it is open between 10.30am and dusk.
During Spring and Summer it is open daily between 10.30am and 5.30pm.
The admission charges are:
Adults - £6.00 (9 Euros)
Children (aged 2 and 15 years) - £4.00 (6 Euros)
Family ticket - £18.00 (27 Euros)
A family ticket admits 2 adults and 2 children
Dogs are not allowed into the park, since some of the birds and animals roam freely. Guide dogs are however accepted. Due to the nature of the lay of the land this attraction is not particularly suitable for wheelchair users and prams. Wheelchairs are allowed into the park but there is a notice warning that carers of wheelchair bound visitors must ne fit and healthy.
The address is as follows:
Chestnut Centre Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park
Chapel-en-le-Frith
High Peak
Derbyshire
SK23 0QS
Telephone - 01298 814099
Fax - 01298 816213
Email - enquiries@ottersandowls.co.uk
Summary: An otter and wildlife sanctuary that includes the largest collection of Otters in Europe
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