Towards the end of the summer holidays we were running out of things to do and getting slightly desperate, so we decided on a day trip to Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park which is located near Chard in Somerset. We have visited the park before, about six years ago, and from memory I think that I was a little unimpressed but we thought that we would give it a second chance. I unfortunately doubt I will be giving it a third chance.

~*~ Location ~*~

Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park is located on the A30, three miles away from Chard. It is signposted from the M5 and also the A303, so it is fairly easy to find. A large sign on the roadside indicates when you have arrived, and you have to drive down a long driveway to get to the car park. There is plenty of space to park free of charge. TA20 4DB for your Sat Nav.

~*~ Entry prices and opening times ~*~

During the peak season adults are charged £8.75, Senior citizens cost £7.50 and children are £6.50. It is possible to get a family ticket for £27.50 which admits two adults and three children. Costs are reduced during low season and in the winter, and it is also possible to max up Clubcard vouchers to gain entry which is probably the most effective way of accessing the park.

The park opens at 10am, and the last entry is at 4pm in the summer (closing at 6pm) and 3pm in the winter (closing at 4.30pm). It is open every day except for Christmas day.

~*~ The park ~*~

The park is spread over a massive area, so be prepared to walk a long way. It is fairly hilly, and there are a lot of steps, but we saw plenty of people with wheelchairs and pushchairs as alternative flatter or sloped routes are offered in most places. It is very picturesque, and man made features like waterfalls, tunnels and sculptures add to the beauty. As everything is outside, I would not recommend going here when it is raining.

When we bought our entry tickets, we were also asked if we wanted to buy train tickets - these cost £1 per person, and are one way; the park is laid out in a large circle, and idea is that you walk along one side then catch the train down the other, the train leaves every half an hour, and by lunchtime, it was quite busy and people were jostling for a place - if you don't buy your ticket on entry, but do decide to take the train, it is possible to buy tickets from a vending machine at the "station" (£1 coin required)

There are toilets spread out throughout the park, but there are only one or two cubicles in each place so bring on the cross legged queues! Whilst they were all clean, they all seemed a bit shabby and could have done with a lick of paint. I wasn't looking out for baby changing areas, but looking back, I do not remember there being any.

~*~ The animals ~*~

There are apparently 34 types of mammal, 21 varieties of birds, and three types of reptiles at the park, and whilst this may sound a lot, it didn't feel as though there was that much there. There is often only one or two of the species, and as with a lot of wildlife parks, they were often not visible. It is possible to get quite close to some of the animals, but a lot of them were quite far away from the pathway which makes visibility virtually impossible. The main exception is Lemur Wood, which you walk through and the Lemurs roam freely - if you are lucky, they come very close as they are very tame, but sometimes they sit in their house, making it difficult to see them. I thought that the viewing areas could have been bigger, and I'm sure that if it was really busy, we would have seen even less.

The enclosures were generally of a decent size, but even so, the animals did not seem to be thriving and a lot of them didn't move for several hours (we know this as we went round twice - I'll explain later!) even though it was not a particularly hot day. The enclosures were clean and well maintained, but there did not appear as though there was anything in them to keep the animals entertained - I am not expecting to find Wii's or televisions, but I'm sure that a few more climbing frames and scratching posts wouldn't go amiss!

One area that did distress me was the breeding area where the eggs are hatched that have been laid by the birds in the park. This is in a dark any dusty concrete barn, and in the corner there was a very large rabbit. Being a rabbit owner myself, I am aware that they need a lot of space, especially one of this size, but his enclosure was only a few square meters and there was barely any natural light. I looked for a keeper to question his surroundings, but I couldn't find anyone...which brings me onto my next point.

~*~ Where have all the staff gone? ~*~

During our time here, considering the size of the park, we were surprised that we hardly came across any staff. There were two on the entry desk, who also ran the shop, one train driver, one person in the shop in the centre of the park and two people serving in the foodhall. We did not go into the Black Swan pub, but considering the queue, I can only guess that staff were also sparse here. I know that times are hard, and companies are trying to keep all costs down, but when a lack of staff affects the quality of the service, its time to employ more.....

~*~ Lunchtime! ~*~

You are more than welcome to bring your own picnic to the park, and there are plenty of areas to eat it - both undercover and out on the grass, but as I can never be bothered to pack a picnic, we decided in the morning that we would eat in the park. At lunchtime we found ourselves in the foodhall so we found a table and joined the queue. There were only two people in front of me, but twenty minutes later, we were still standing in the queue due to a severe lack of staff: I felt desperately sorry for the young girls who were doing their best cooking and serving, but as the queue grew behind me they were getting increasingly exasperated: as were the people in the queue.

The only food on offer here were over priced crisps and cakes, chips (£1.50) and pasties/ sausage rolls (£1.95). The chips were nice enough, and you got plenty of them, but more choice here would have been welcome.

You could also get traditional food in the pub in the centre of the park, but as I said, it was very busy and all of the seats were full but the food that did come out looked nice.

There was also a small tearoom, but as the decking outside was in the process of being painted (just an open paint tin, and a wet paint sign present; no painter!) we gave it a wide birth, muttering something about it being a daft time of year/day to carry out such a task!

~*~ So, did we have a nice day? ~*~

We had an OK day, and that is probably being generous! We kept checking our map to make sure that we hadn't missed anything because we had walked all of the way round in an hour, and used our train tickets for the five minute train ride (I feel strongly that the cost of the this could have been absorbed into the entrance price). We stopped for lunch, and then walked around a second time to try to get full value for money and we managed to stretch our visit out for three and a half hours - I have been known to spend longer in Ikea and not charged £27.50 for the privilege!

There are a couple of small play areas but our children have outgrown them (aged 10 and 7) so apart from walking, there really wasn't that much to entertain them. The park is pleasant, but I do not feel that the entry price is completely justified, and I don't think that it is good value for money at all. I doubt that I will be going back but if you are stuck with a spare afternoon, use your Clubcard vouchers to gain entry as it is a pleasant walk if nothing else.

Once we made it through the overpriced shop full of tacky zoo goods, leaving the park took almost as much time as our visit! The exit road was miles long, and we felt as though we were never going to get to the end, so don't go here if you are running short of petrol! I really hope that this place survives the recession, as it is a useful tourist draw for the surrounding towns, but unless it pulls its socks up, it may well be doomed.