Five Sisters Zoo

What it’s like

Scotland's only cheetah, rescued brown bears and a reptile house with over 160 species to work through.

The cheetah is the one to build the day around, Scotland's only one according to the site, and it's the sort of animal you save for when everyone's still got the energy to actually look rather than trudge past. Before that there are rescued brown bears with their own backstory, and the Lost Kingdom reptile house for when the weather turns or you just fancy somewhere warm for twenty minutes. With over 160 species listed across the site, you're not doing this in an hour.

It suits kids from about three up, old enough to spot a cheetah from a house cat and ask sensible questions about it. A family ticket for two adults and two kids comes to £64.95, or £16.50 per child and £21.95 per adult if you're buying separately, which is proper zoo money rather than pocket change. Under-3s get in free, so a toddler in a buggy costs you nothing extra beyond the faff of pushing it round outdoor enclosures.

Hours shift a fair bit through the year. Summer (April to September) you've got 10am to 6pm with last entry at 4:30pm, but by December that's shrunk to 10am to 3pm with last entry at 1:30pm, so a winter visit needs planning if you want the full walk round rather than a rushed half. It's shut on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, otherwise open as normal.

There's an on-site restaurant and outdoor play alongside the animals, plus a gift shop for the inevitable stuffed cheetah on the way out. No booking is needed, you can just turn up. If you're relying on buses, it's route 26 or 34A to Harwood Church stop and a five-minute walk from there; the train station is a mile off with country roads and no pavement for stretches, so the bus is the easier bet without a car.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

Ages 3 and up, old enough to properly take in the cheetah

Last entry

Times vary by season: 4:30pm (April-Sep), 3:30pm (Oct, Mar), 2:30pm (Nov, Jan, Feb), 1:30pm (Dec)

Getting there by bus or train

Bus 26 or 34A (5 minute walk from Harwood Church bus stop)

• Winter opening hours shrink fast, December closes for the day at 3pm with last entry 1:30pm
• There's indoor play as well as outdoor, useful if the reptile house isn't enough shelter
• Under-3s go free, so buggy-age visits cost nothing extra on the ticket
• No booking needed, just turn up

Plan your visit

Animals

• Brown Bears

  Rescued brown bears.

• Cheetah

  Described as Scotland's only Cheetah.

Also on site

• Leaping Lemurs Soft Play

  indoors

  Indoor soft play at the zoo, with its own phone line: 01506 87 22 00.

Areas to explore

• Lost Kingdom

  Indoor reptile house.

• Play Park

  outdoors

Featured in 2 Huddlepin lists

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