Family Day Out at Cotswold Wildlife Park, Oxfordshire

http://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/

Since living in Oxfordshire I have visited Cotswold Wildlife Park a couple of times with the nursery I was working in at the time.  However I hadn't been for about 6 or so years so when we were arranging a day out with my brother and sister in law and nephew we decided to visit here. On the edge of the Cotswolds and not far from Oxford its a popular attraction for families in my neck of the woods.

Price

£15(gate) £14(online) Adult

Under 3s free

Children 3-16yrs £9.50(online)£10(gate)

Whats on

• feeding talks daily
• adventure playground
• train rides
• skymaze interconnecting treehouse maze
• specialised events (link below)

http://www.cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk/whats-on/events/

Eating Facilities

As I always say a cheap way of feeding your children is to bring a picnic and there is lots of outdoor seating and grass areas to pitch up.  As our visit had not quite hit spring at this point it was still quite chilly so we went and had a main meal in the Oak Tree Restaurant.  The food was okay I had lasagne and chips and a drink for under £10.

Value for money?

There is a wide variety of animals including lions, zebras, rhinos, birds, reptiles, penguins and many more.  You can easily spend a day here as a family as there is plenty to do.  My nephew enjoyed the animals but he also just loved running around in lots of wide open space.

Interactive features

The park have an app on the apple store that you can download prior to your visit.  This has quizs, interactive map and will tell you fun facts about the animals in the park.  This is good if you are with older children and want to make more out of your visit.

Favourite Part

I liked the penguins and have done on previous visits here. You get really close to them and I think its at a good height for little ones to be able to see whats going on. 

Accessibility

Most of the park is quite flat and has paths of a good quality for pushchairs and to walk around.  Lots to see but its not spread out to far so you are never far from when you need to walk back on yourself for restrooms/coffee etc.

Throughly recommended for a fantastic family day out if you are ever in Oxfordshire.

Nanny Bicester

Harry Potter Studio Tour Review

Looking like abit of a goon on the night bus!!

Website- https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

Are you or your child/charge a Harry Potter fan? Have you read the books or seen the movies?  Then the Harry Potter Studio Tour is defintly for you.  I try in my reviews not to be biased but I am a huge Harry Potter fan and in the last two years have visited twice once for my younger brothers 21st birthday and more recently in November for Hogworts in the Snow.  My youngest brother and sister in law have actually been three times in last two and a half years.  She has actually become a fan since the first visit having read all the books and watched all the films and seems to be able to quote Potter trivia.

What is there to do?

Where do I start? I'm going to summarise in bullet points

• walk around the studio sets from the movies
• film your own short movie on a broomstick
• talks from guides
• special events
• seeing the set designs in sketch
• props/costumes from the movie
• try some butterbeer or as ive just spotted online butterbeer ice cream

Multimedia facilities?

I have not used the audio guide on either of my visits as I was going with family and decided it may be anti social.  However, I wish I had as the guide tells you extra bits of information.  This would be good also.for children with any visual difficulties.

How does it engage children?

Lots to do and look at with props and guides around the tour showing you how they did parts of the movie.  In November there was somebody showing people how they make fake snow I thought that was really cool.  You can also make your own short broomstick movie which I did on my first visit (I'm such a kid) but it was over £20 to have your own copy on a memory stick so in retrospective I shouldn't of bought it. 

On the website I have just seen that there is an Activity passport available which includes a Golden Snitch hunt (wish I had done that now!) to get children engaged in what they are seeing and lets be honest who doesn't like a treasure hunt.

Ideal age of children?

As this is based on the movies I do not really think really young children can get a lot from it till they have read some of the books and seen some of the movies.  I also think you need to be a HP fan or this wont really be enjoyable for you/them.  Saying that I did see some very young children but as the later movies are quite dark I presume they hadn't seen those yet.

Places to eat/facilities?

As you go in there is a Starbucks and a Studio Café to get small snacks and drinks.  About halfway round on the Backlot there is another café in which you can purchase the famous Butterbeer!  Slightly expensive for a small cup however delicious and you must try it as it is Harry Potter after all!

Yummy Butterbeer!

The gift shop is so cool but a lot of the items are very expensive so be warned if visiting with small ones.  What annoys me though is how they place it right at the end of the tour as you walk out so you have no choice but to walk through there.  They are not stupid right? Obviously this has been done deliberately for making money and small people going "I want I want".

How much does it cost?

I have linked the pricing page on the website below

https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/plan-your-visit/ticket-information

Favourite parts?

So many favourite parts but to highlight the studio sets as they were used in the movies.  They look so small in reality to how they look on the screen.

Any special events going on?

Yes they often do special events and check the website for details.  On my most recent visit I went to Hogwarts in the Snow although some of my family as well as myself felt it was advertised to be more than it was.  Other than some parts of the tour being dressed festive and some fake snow in places we felt a little disappointed.  I will say however that they often create new parts to the tour to encourage people to go back such as adding the Hogwarts Express and I have seen on the website that they are making more of a feature of Privet Drive this month.

The Great Hall dressed for Hogwarts in the Snow

Any criticisms?

I think the only criticism I have of this studio attraction is what I have said previously about the Hogwarts in the Snow event but that is just my opinion I'm sure many people have enjoyed it.  Also the gift souvenirs are abit on the pricey side but is this all relative to the whole experience of the attraction?

I hope you have found this blog useful and I definitely recommend this as a place to go visit as a family, with children or just as adults just as my family did.

Edinburgh Castle-Place to visit with Kids?

My view of the castle from hotel on Princes Street

On my recent girls weekend to Edinburgh I got to visit the beauty that is Edinburgh Castle.  A castle that stands proudly above the city steeped in history you cannot stop but stare at it when walking around the city.  Home to many Kings and Queens of Scotland in history including Mary Queen of Scots to hold the keys to the castle meant you had a great deal of power.

As a nanny and now childcare blogger I am going to look at the castle as not just a tourist attraction for adults but as a family attraction in this blog.

What is there to see and do?
The castle has many areas to visit including the following:

• old jail
• martime museum
• war memorials
• Scottish crown jewels
• military hospital
• old battery
• old weaponary

What was my favourite part?

The views are amazing!! Also I love seeing the old jail and crown jewels.

Photo taken by Nanny Bicester

Is it expensive?

children under 5 free, children 5-15 £9.60, adult £16 so relative I thought but I think worth it as there is lots to see.  If you are using local sightseeing buses entry maybe including on their tours.

Eating Facilities?

There are two places to eat Redcote Café which you can get soup, sandwiches and cake amonst other things.  We went to the Queen Anne Tearoom to have a hot drink which does some hot food, hot and cold beverages and even Afternoon Tea for £16 per person!  If we didn't have an Afternoon Tea booked for later in the day I definitely be tempted to have it!! 

What age children is it suitable for?

I would take children 4+  to the castle particularly if they have an interest in history. 

I would also like to mention due to being on a steep slope and lots of stairs any parents/carers of children with disabilities should ring ahead when planning a trip to the castle as it may cause some mobility issues.

Does Edinburgh Castle have an app/interactive tools?
You can get audio guides to listen to as you walk around or listen via the app you can download from your app providers. The legend, ghosts and mysteries section has short sections of information that you can read or listen too which would be good for people with either  audio or visual difficulties as they would have a choice on how to receive the information.

Screenshot taken by Nanny Bicester

Special events?

http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/whatson will give details of special events that are happening at the castle.  In August the The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will set to pay tribute the Queens 90th birthday see website for more details.

Would I come back?

Yes!! I would love to comeback to Edinburgh and would love to visit the castle again as I feel I missed some parts.  We also found out in the gift shop what clan tartan we belong too.  If you ask in the gift shop around the castle they will use your surname to see what heritage clan you would belong too.

Anything else to mention?

Guided Tours are available for those who wish and have a browse around the gift shop its worth a look although I didn't buy anything but there was some nice items but some over priced!

Website link- http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk/

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