Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens
160 acres of parkland and gardens around a Victorian manor near Burford, home to more than 1,500 animals from rhinos and lions to lemurs and penguins.
160 acres of parkland and gardens around a Victorian manor near Burford, home to more than 1,500 animals from rhinos and lions to lemurs and penguins.
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens is a much-loved family attraction set in 160 acres of parkland and beautiful gardens around a listed Victorian manor house near Burford. Open since 1970, it is home to more than 1,500 animals across some 250 species, from white rhinos, lions and giraffes to lemurs, meerkats, penguins and a walk-through aviary. A narrow-gauge railway loops the grounds in summer, and the planting is good enough to draw garden lovers in its own right, so there is plenty to fill a full day whatever the weather. About 35 minutes from Well Cottage, it is one of the most reliable rainy-day-or-shine outings for children in the area.
The white rhinos alone justify the trip: you'll find them grazing in a paddock large enough to feel genuinely wild, with giraffes browsing nearby in a scene that shouldn't quite work in Oxfordshire but does, beautifully. The walled garden surrounding the Victorian manor is as carefully planted as any country-house border, and it provides a lovely counterpoint to the animal enclosures. Make time for the Tropical House (warm, lush, and welcome on a grey Cotswold day), the walk-through lemur territory, and the penguin pool. In summer the narrow-gauge railway becomes a favourite with younger visitors, running a loop of the grounds that gives a useful lay of the land early in the day. The adventure playground keeps children busy between the bigger sights, and the park is genuinely spread across 160 acres, so comfortable shoes matter.
Cotswold Wildlife Park is about 30 minutes from Well Cottage via the A361 south through Chipping Norton. The park sits just outside Burford on the Bradwell Grove estate, and that proximity is worth using: Burford is one of the most handsome towns in the Cotswolds, with its steep high street of golden-stone merchants' houses running down to the River Windrush. A visit to the wildlife park pairs naturally with a wander through town and lunch at one of the inns on the high street, or a browse of the independent antique shops. The park opens daily from 10am and the last admission is typically 90 minutes before closing, so an early start rewards you with calmer enclosures before the school-holiday crowds arrive. It's open all year round, which makes it a reliable option whatever the weather brings.
All of this on the doorstep, and your own thatched cottage to come home to. Sleeps seven, less than a mile from Soho Farmhouse.