Out and about at The Wild Place
Sometimes whole weeks go by where it feels like you just aren’t doing anything towards your lists. And then, much like a Bristol bus, two opportunities to tick off tasks come along at once. Last weekend my youngest son, Ethan, turned 13. So we grabbed him and my ‘God Nephew’. (Not sure what the actual term for my Mum’s God Son’s Son is. I am assuming that Jayson would be my ‘God Brother’ which would make Connor my ‘God Nephew’? Not sure, but if anyone knows, let me know in the comments!) and we took the boys to the Wild Place Project in North Bristol. Somewhere that – totally coincidentally- appears on my Bristol Bucket List. They also happen to have a barefoot trail, which appears on the “50 things to do before you turn 11 3/4” list by the National Trust. So I have managed to get two tasks done for the price of one.
Where the ‘The Wild’ things are…
The Hollywood Estate site was gifted to Bristol Zoo by the White family in the 1960s. It was used as a quarantine area, as well as a space to breed animals which were not on show. Plans for a conservation project were announced in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2013 that the park finally opened.
The aim of the park is to encourage people to get outdoors and discover animals in a more natural environment. To this end they have divided the park into a number of different geographic spaces, which include:
Benoue National Park
This area is a representation of a Cameroonian village, complete with pretend market stalls and thatched huts. The French hand made signs direct the guests around, while an accessible wooden walkway allows you to look over the animals; giraffes, elands and red river hogs. If you want to catch up with the cheetahs, you can find them in their own area. Be sure and keep an eye out for the wild guinea fowl that wander freely too.
Discover Madagascar
A walk through a set of double gates will take you into another mock African village. Walk through the second set of gates, and you can join this immersive lemur experience. There are knowledgeable keepers who will answer your questions, and you can get great photos of the lemurs at play – or at rest.
Continue your walk around the park and you will discover further zones, including the Gelada Rocks, the Secret Congo and the Ancient Woodland. There are also play areas, a butterfly maze, a walled garden and from the end of July a new Bear Wood will be opening.
You will find plenty to do for the day and is particularly good for anyone with younger children. There are areas that may be less accessible to prams or those less stable on their feet, due to the natural environment, but the major pathways are easy to navigate, and there are benches and seating throughout the park, as well as an undercover play area.
What we did
As our visit was for my 13 year old’s birthday, I was initially a bit worried after seeing all of the very small children queuing to enter. Had I misjudged this and would the boys be bored? My obsession with lists and ticking boxes meant that I took over the task of finding all of the bear sculptures on the various coloured walks, although the boys helped me locate them. Even going so far as to pose with their heads through the Big Bear Sculpture Picture board (they tended to avoid most of my attempts at photographing them after that!)
Adventure bit
The real reason I had picked the Wild Place for Ethan’s Birthday, wasn’t just because it was on my Bristol list (Honestly!) or for the animals, but because they had a climbing wall, which also included a leap of faith, and a giant swing. As the boys has enjoyed our ‘Go Ape’ adventure, I thought they would also enjoy this. As I had booked the tickets online – which I would recommend if you want to save a bit of money – I made a bit of an error when it came to booking the activities. My intent was to tick for the boys to do all 3 of the activities, however I ticked for 3 people to do them…so I was ‘roped’ in.
Our spot was booked for 12 o’clock , and we were kitted out in our gear and let loose on the course after the safety talk. Sadly, it was a bit too hot to be enjoyable. While smaller children shot up the ladders and rope like proverbial rats up drainpipes, we were all feeling a bit more lethargic. I would climb up 8 or 9 feet or so before climbing back down. The idea is you just ‘starfish’ and allow yourself to fall, but I have too many trust issues and just couldn’t jump from height. The saving grace of the entire hour was when we got to try the giant swing; all three of us were hoisted up and the winch was released to send us soaring through the air. Certainly the best part of the day.
Barefoot trail
I was the only one of our group to try this out, but as I wanted to tick it off of my ‘50 things to do before you are 11 & 3/4′ list, I went ahead. I am not sure what I was expecting – possibly some wonderful sensory experience – but most of the textures were similar, uncomfortable, and in many cases painful! Where was the springy chamomile lawn, or crunchy dry leaves? It was certainly less enjoyable than I was anticipating.
Following this, I am interested to see how other places set out barefoot trails and I am going to investigate other trails so I can have a comparison. I have, however, completed the task, so I will be writing a separate piece and uploading the video I made.
Impressions
Overall, we had a great day. I would certainly like to return, mainly for a better look at the animals. It did feel like we rushed a bit to see everything to be back in time to kit up for the activities. There are so many places to take good photos, and I would be interested to see the plants and flowers during a different season. With the opening of the Bear Woods, a repeat visit will still be able to offer something new and interesting.
I might even have another go on that swing…