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If you're looking for great days out, there's plenty to do in the animal world. From visiting animal attractions such as the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth (well worth a visit), to walking with llamas, from rambling and ambling to enjoying horse riding outings, you have plenty of choice.
The UK is particular fortunate in having lots of wonderful countryside to explore, with stunning views and scenery to take in and breathe in. How much of your local area have you truthfully explored? It's often the case that we spend time exploring when we're away but rarely look at what our home environment has to offer, so see what's on offer in your area.
- Ordnance Survey maps can be a great way to have fun planning a walk & get away into the nooks & crannies of your local area
- TheRSPB has 100 nature reserves - their membership is just amazing value, and well worth it. (Even if you only visit one or two, you know that your contribution will be helping conservation, plus you get a free gift & a members magazine. These take you well away from local beauty spots you wouldn't ordinarily see, and they offer a great opoprtunity to really get to grips with conservation issues & what's going on in your area.
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The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust have 9 reserves & offer a great opportunity to discover why wetlands are so important to the wellbeing of all of us, animals & people
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The National Trust have a stupendous 300 historic houses, 700 miles of spectacular coastline and over 600,000 acres of beautiful countryside. Membership does allow free entry to properties owned by the National Trust for Scotland, and you can visit hundreds of fantastic places in England, Wales & Northern Ireland as many times as you like.
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SEA LIFE has 12 aquariums in the UK, including: Birmingham, Bray, Brighton, Cornwall Seal Sanctuary, Great Yarmouth, Hunstanton Seal Sanctuary, Loch Lomond, London Aquarium, Oban Seal Sanctuary, Scarborough, Weymouth. You can find out more about their opening hours & how to get there and buy tickets online here. SEA LIFE has an annual pass, giving unlimited entry to 10 of all of their UK SEA LIFE centres & sanctuaries - good value at £30 for an adult & £25 for a child for 12 months. It also gives you discounts in the gift shop & on hot drinks in the cafe, plus other added extras.
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ZSL London Zoo has over 650 species to discover, live demonstrations and fantastic walk-through exhibits getting you close to the animals. New for 2010 is Rainforest life, London’s only living rainforest, which takes you on a journey high into the treetops to meet a variety of amazing rainforest species including marmosets, tamarins and sloths and tamandua, and then into the murky depths of the all-new ‘Night Life’ area. There you’ll discover the bats, rats and nocturnal wonders like the Slender Loris, armadillos and Potto who make the dark their home.Find out more & buy tickets online here
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ZSL Whipsnade Zoo gives you the chance to escape on an adventure across acres of beautiful English countryside with fantastic views across the Chiltern Downs and watch lions, tigers, elephants, hippos and giraffes out and about in huge outdoor enclosures. New for 2010 – The Beasts are Back at Wild Wild Whipsnade. Travel back to a time when wild beasts walked this land. Where bison herds grazed on England’s verdant pastures and wolf packs and bears hunted in our forests. .Find out more & buy tickets online here
One thing you could do for a day out is to find a local animal charity. Give them a call and see if you can visit to find out more about the work they are doing and see what you can do to volunteer. Many have web sites you can look up for contact details. Then spend a day volunteering - you go home with a great feel good factor. It doesn't need to be a permanent thing, either - many animal charities are often glad of an extra couple of hands at odd times, particularly in peak periods such as holiday times when people are away, and the animals are always grateful for your love and attention. |
