Only 2 days until the commencement of 'Exercise Tartan Cheetah' otherwise known as 'Karoocheetah heads north of the border' Road Trip 2011 will be underway as of Monday - the plan over the next 2 weeks is to visit several wildlife establishments in sunny (oh please let it be some of the time) scotland. Edinburgh Zoo, Highland Wildlife Park, Blair Drummond, Five Sisters & Deep Sea World all on the radar - any more anyone has hiding up their sleeve feel free to share. If I can do Galloway on the way back I will, but it's over the opposite side of the country to where I am staying so it won't be a quick there and back. I apparently have free wifi at my B&B so I will endeavour to share my potentially whisky addled thoughts with you hot off the press. watch this space.......
Happy trails. We're going up Tuesday, so our paths may cross (not worked out our itinerary yet). As someone who's done the "safari" a few times before I'm certain you won't be disappointed. I look forward to your views (whisky-addled or otherwise). P.S. I think you'll be the only Cheetah in "Northern Britain" (though there's Bears everywhere).
You might want to look at the Scottish Deer Centre,also if you are doing Blair Drummond Safari Park you could double it up with Loch Lommond Sealife Centre.Edinburgh Butterfly House also has a few other bits other than Butterflys,struggling to come up with any more for you that are worth doing.
Camperdown Wildlife Park in Dundee not a bad little place to visit has a very nice Brown Bear exhibit.Think I have of run out of ideas now,enjoy the trip will catch up with you when you return!
If you are passing through the North East area you may like to call in at the new Kirkley Hall zoo at Ponteland, Northumberland, it would make a good stop to have a break for a couple of hours, but remember it is only open on Saturdays and Sundays at the present time,
OK - change of plan - Exercise Tartan Cheetah has had to be postponed until 2012 - but it has morphed into 'Exercise Wandering Cheetah' for the next two weeks - details to follow
Oh well where ever you wander in 2011 or 2012 then if up in Scotland on the West coast near Oban get yourself on a boat trip to see wildlife the real way!! In 2009 we went to a small place on the coast called Craobh (pronounced Krobe) Haven a tiny village we stayed in a cottage for a week, 20 miles south of Oban. From there we did a couple of boat trips that lasted several hours, amongst many different species of sea birds (lots of diversity!!) we saw Bottle nosed Dolphins feeding and then playing about, Porpoises, Goats (wild goats on the islands) several buzzards and to cap it off a good sighting of a Golden Eagle. £20 quid about 4 hours on a boat with a guide and only about 6 people on the boat in total so you can ask all sorts of questions to him. Not unusual to see Orcas and Basking sharks too at the right time of year. Worth punt for something animally and not zooey!
Exercise Wandering Cheetah is underway - First port of call is actually Chester Zoo tomorrow (but does that count as it's my local?) then on Monday I'm going to be Cheetah-ing my way around 'The Deep' in sunny Hull before exploring Yorkshire Wildlife Park for the very first time - reports to follow - but if you spot the cheetah (snigger) on her travels feel free to pop across and make yourself known - I shall endeavour to wear my Cheetah TShirt as a mark for recognition - and I am also generally festooned with Canon camera and assorted paraphinalia (that's a stonking word by the way!!)
Quick update - I will put a more detailed one in each zoo/collections own forum section but here are some highlights: Sun 25th Sept: Chester Zoo - quick visit in the afternoon for my weekly 'recording of the cheetah cubs development' (any excuse). See "Chester Zoo 2011 #2" forum thred for visit details Mon 26th Sept: The Deep in Sunny Hull - 10th Anniversary year - new guidebook (£3) issued this year - great aquarium or submarium if you take the Deep's own description. See "The Deep" forum thread for details. Tues 27th Sept - Yorkshire Wildlife Park - Very Very Impressed with this 'young' zoo - lots of things planned and really friendly rangers who are proud to chat about their collection and how it fits with other collections in the UK and lots of stuff to share about their plans. See "Yorkshire Wildlife Park" forum thread for details. Wed 28th Sept - Knowsley Safari Park - really quiet visit (which I like) very warm day here (about 25°C) so most animals snoozing - Except the White Rhino - too much excitement actually as the Bull was spoiling for a fight and got one needing quick intervention by the keepers to separate them before it got really nasty - leaving one female with facial cuts and a possibly bruised youngster who was both in the way and being defended by his mum. Exhilarating & scary at the same time. See "Knowsley Safari Park" forum thread for deatails. Wandering Cheetah continued tomorrow with Welsh Mountain Zoo, followed by a return the Chester Zoo and Twycross Zoo with fellow zoo chatters on saturday. now where did I put my energy drinks????
You've certainly got the weather for it. We're currently looking at putting a few trips together for the second week in October... So far a return to Blackpool Zoo and possibly a trip to Blackbrook are on the cards. No doubt we'll visit Chester at least once midweek too. So many places seem to be two hours of driving each way!
I like Blackpool too - especially now a baby Gorilla has arrived! I recommend YWP though - go and visit it's good!
