Trotters world of (some) animals (Trotters World of Animals (Keswick))

Member Name: LIZR315

Product:	Trotters World of Animals (Keswick)
Date:	26/07/09 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small scale Zoo

Disadvantages: Poor outdoor play

This is a small zoo / animal centre with soft play and outdoor play situated in the North Lakes not too far from Keswick and Cockermouth. For those of you who know the area it is situated next to Bassenthwaite Lake and Armathwaite Hall Hotel. It may actually be owned by them as it was their name that came up on our credit card receipt.

Finding it
We just followed the brown signs on the A66 after we had gone past Keswick. It was quite hard to spot the entrance as the sign had got knocked and we (like other cars we spotted) missed the entrance. Car parking was ok and not too far to walk to the entrance.

Opening Times
10 am to 5.30 daily. Last admission is 5 pm. We got there on a Saturday at 11.30 ish and the car park wasn't too full.

Cost
Adults: £ 7.25, Child 3-14: £5.25, under 3's free.
I think it's quite pricey but I'm still getting used to admission fees to these sorts of places as my child is only 15 months. However we went to Folly Farm in Wales which was only 50 p more and had far more to do there.

What's there?
As a small zoo it's got zebra, mandrills, gibbons, lynx, meerkats, vultures, eagles, red pandas, otters, monkeys, wild boar plus small animals like guinea pigs plus some snakes and reptiles.
There is a soft play zone which is quite ok but a poor outdoor play area which could do with expanding for a wider range of ages.

Other facilities
There is a small gift shop and a small cafe. There are quite a number of picnic benches for you to eat your packed lunch.
They have a range of displays and talks throughout the day. We quite enjoyed the falconry display.

Verdict
Well....
It worked well for my family. With a small child it was just big enough for him and had enough animals without him getting over excited. He also liked the ball pool in the soft play. I think the price is quite steep for what you get (compared to Folly Farm in Wales). I don't know how much children above the age of 8 would be impressed by it.
I would think twice about driving a really long way for it but if you are in the area for a holiday or day out it might be worth checking it out as it does have a greater range of animals then the average pigs, sheep and cows.

Summary: Worth checking out