Twycross Zoo, Leicestershire

When we booked our weekend trip to Leicestershire, we had a number of local attraction to choose from but there was one obvious 'yes' from the family - Twycross Zoo.

Now in a zoo filled with exotic and rarely seen creatures, it did tickle me a little that the kids first port of call was the farm section. The little lady has long said that goats are one of her favourite animals though, so this was bound to be a be a popular area for her - especially the goat walkthrough where she could get up close with some of her favourites! 

This little section also contained the ever-amusing alpacas, a very sweet bundle of guinea pigs and bunnies, and a pair of very amorous donkeys that encouraged us to move swiftly on before too many questions were asked....

The gorillas were one of the key attractions here for us. The kids had put on their start of the year list that they'd like to see these wonderful animals, and knowing we could find them at Twycross Zoo definitely added to out enthusiasm to visit.

Obviously the star of the day was the absolutely adorable baby gorilla. So cute and playful, we could have watched this little guy for hours (and probably did!)

In between the animals, the youngsters found plenty of places to play. The kids got to replicate some of the primate behaviour they'd been observing, by swinging and climbing to their hearts content, while I got to enjoy and appreciate a nice sit-down-with-a-cup-of-tea session!

One of the highlights was feeding the birds in the Lorikeet Landing enclosure! This wasn't here on our last visit to the zoo a few years ago, so was a nice bonus. You could buy a small pot of nectar from the enclosure entrance and, if the birds are hungry, they may just come along to feed out of your pot! It was a really nice way to get close to these charming birds! 

We always love seeing the giraffes - they're such unusual but beautiful animals, and so calming to watch! 

And the penguins are a favourite with the kids in particular - the contrast between their grace in the water and how awkward they look on land will never fail to make me smile! 

We had a really full day out, setting off early to get down to Leicestershire for around opening time and not leaving until they were practically kicking us out - we definitely got our money's worth out of the visit!