Chew Valley Animal Park
WHERE
Bristol
What it’s like
Pygmy goats to pet, pigs to feed and tortoises getting a bath, plus timed handling sessions through the day.
The animal handling sessions are the bit to build the day round. Weekdays you get two slots, 11:30am and 1:30pm, but turn up on a weekend or in the holidays and there are five spread across the day, so you can actually plan lunch around them rather than the other way round. Thirty minutes with the small furry animals, then off to the field for the pygmy goats, or over to feed the pigs. There's a tortoise bathing session too, which is a strange and oddly calming thing to watch a queue form for.
No booking needed, you just turn up and pay on the day, which takes the faff out of planning a spontaneous Saturday. Gates are 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays, so don't turn up on a Monday expecting the gates to open because they won't. There's a picnic area if you've brought your own, or the restaurant does a bar and hot food, with a pizzeria too if the kids have decided today is a pizza day.
Worth knowing the handling sessions get cancelled once it hits around 25 degrees, which makes sense for the animals but is a rubbish surprise if you've driven over specifically for it on a scorcher. Bird flu restrictions can also mean some pens are shut on the day, which again is out of anyone's hands but worth bearing in mind if there's one enclosure your child has been banging on about all week.
If you fancy the restaurant without doing the whole park, that's allowed too. The Sunday roast gets a mention on their own site, which tells you it's not just an afterthought café bolted onto a farm.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Younger kids keen on hands-on animal time, goats to pigs to tortoises
- Food
- Restaurant with bar, soft drinks, tea, coffee and food
- Picnics
- Picnic area available on site
- Some animal pens might be closed on the day if there are bird flu restrictions in place
- Handling sessions are 30 minutes and can sell out the busier slots at weekends
- There's a pizzeria on site as well as the main restaurant
- Animal adoption packages come with a free day pass and your name by the enclosure for a year
Plan your visit
Do we need to book?
No, just turn up and pay on arrival.
What time are the animal handling sessions?
11:30am and 1:30pm on weekdays. Weekends and holidays get five slots: 11am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm.
What if it's a hot day?
The handling sessions can get cancelled once it hits around 25 degrees, so a scorcher might mean you miss that bit.
What are the opening hours?
10am to 4pm Tuesday to Sunday. Closed all day Monday.
Can we eat there without paying to get into the park?
The restaurant is open to visitors without park admission, Sunday roast included.
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