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Zoos & Wildlife Parks in Cardiff

If you want proper zoo enclosures in Cardiff itself, this list will disappoint you a bit. What you get instead is wildlife on its own terms. Roath Park, just a few minutes from the centre, is free to wander, with a lake to pedalo across, two playgrounds and a wildlife trail alongside the trim trail. Out at Newport, RSPB Newport Wetlands is also free, with four trails, dragonflies and water voles, and 7,500-year-old footprints preserved in the mud. A longer trip out to Congresbury gets you the North Somerset Bird Of Prey Centre, where you can hold a bird of prey on your fist from £29. For toddlers, Roath Park's playgrounds and easy paths are the simplest choice, and free helps. Older children who fancy proper tracking and spotting do better at Newport Wetlands or the sandy dune trails at Kenfig National Nature Reserve in Bridgend, though dogs stay on the lead there for the grazing livestock. The bird of prey centre is booking required, so sort that before you go. If preschool-age bug hunts and fire and foraging appeal, Westbury Wildlife Park Foundation on the edge of Bristol only opens weekends.

✓ 5 places✦ 2 free to visit