Whipsnade zoo - opinions please

loulou123

Thinking of going to Whipsnade zoo on the saturday of the bank holiday in August.

It has to be a day trip only, due to commitments and we will be going on the train.

Weve never been before (although we did go to London Zoo earlier in the year.) and it'll be quite a trek in one day as we are on the south coast.

We need to get a 2 hour train to Victoria, then the underground to St Pancreas, then a train on to Luton. In total nearly 4 hours each way. Then a taxi to and from the zoo.

Its also going to be quite costly, as you can imagine.

Has anyone been? Is it worth this sort of trek for one day? Is it a "nice" zoo etc.

Ive been to London Zoo, Berlin Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, Marwell, Longleat, and chessington in the last couple of years will i be disappointed by Whipsnade, as it receives very mixed reviews on the internet.

Any opinions/advice appreciated.

brogusblue

I live only 10min drive from the zoo, A taxi from Luton to zoo is going to cost a small fortune i would say around £15+ each way ...

There is a bus x31 that runs to the zoo from luton and they are doing a 2for1 voucher on there site for the zoo ...

http://www.centrebus.com/ - They run every hour to the zoo from luton...

Whipsnade zoo is good, lots of walking around and the sea lion & the birds of prey shows is excellent... and they have a steam train there as well ... Plenty of things to keep the kids occupied...

Map of the zoo - https://static.zsl.org/images/originals/map-easter-2009-a3-3931.jpg


Hope this helps

miniemma

We are about 20 mins from Whipsnade and we LOVE it there, we've been members for about 7 years in a row.

I would say, for the amount you have to spend to get there and the amount you have to pay to get in, you will want to get there as early as possible and stay until closing in order to get your money's worth.

It's a huge place and we manage to see something different every time we go. On Thursday we saw the python being fed a chicken (dead) and there was a brand new baby elephant born on Wednesday night

The Sealion show is great, there are 3 a day, and the Bird show is excellent - again there are 3 a day and each time they show a few different birds - unless it's too windy to fly the bigger birds.

You can use Tesco Clubcard vouchers to get tickets. My in laws did this to come in with us this week.

There is a large cafe with good food but it will be packed on a bank holiday so I suggest a picnic.

Plenty of shelters all around the park in case it rains. It's always quite windy up there too.

hth x

KeithP

Where abouts on the South Coast?
Somewhere between Southampton and Hastings?

If so, have you considered the Southern DaySave train ticket?
Basically, you can travel all over the Southern network for £10 per adult or £20 for upto 4 adults and £1 per child. See their website for details.

If the DaySave ticket is any use, I would suggest travelling to Clapham Junction and changing there to a train to Hemel Hempstead. The train to Hemel Hempstead is still a Southern service, so still with the one DaySave ticket.

The X31 bus, mentioned above by brogusblue, actually goes from Luton to Hemel Hempstead via Whipsnade, so is still useful. X31 timetable here.
You will see that it only takes approx 30mins from HH, but about an hour from Luton.

Hope this helps.

mollypip

Whipsnade zoo is great! As the other posters have said you need to spend as much time as possibile there to see everything. It's quite spread out - I would say more so than Marwell for example - so take your walking shoes!

loulou123

Thank you everyone for your replys. Thanks for your warning on the cost of the taxi, but as time is of the escence somewhat, will properly still choose that over the bus.

KeithP im in Chichester (between Portsmouth and Bognor Regis) so think i do apply for the special rates on train. And changing at clapham is certainly worth looking at as it avoids the underground. But with those tickets dont you have to book several weeks in advance to get those tickets? This wouldnt be idea due to the unpredicable weather were having.

KeithP

loulou123 wrote: »

Thank you everyone for your replys. Thanks for your warning on the cost of the taxi, but as time is of the escence somewhat, will properly still choose that over the bus.

KeithP im in Chichester (between Portsmouth and Bognor Regis) so think i do apply for the special rates on train. And changing at clapham is certainly worth looking at as it avoids the underground. But with those tickets dont you have to book several weeks in advance to get those tickets? This wouldnt be idea due to the unpredicable weather were having.

Yes, DaySave tickets do have to be booked seven days in advance.
Also it appears that Southern aren't running trains further north than Watford Junc that day. Don't know why. Another point against DaySave.
I would still recommend that route though. Avoids the (admittedly slight) inconvenience of the cross London hastle.
£24.60 will get you an adult Offpeak Day Return Chi to Hemel Hempstead, valid on any train that day. Don't forget to ask for 'via Kensington Olympia' for that fare. Can be bought on the day. Will cost you an extra £5.50 to go via London.

andym6561

Anyone know how much the bus is from luton to whipsnade is? also if you would plan on going there at least 3 times a year you would be better off with the friends annual pass which gives you access to Whipsnade and London Zoo for £48.50 if you pay by direct debit plus other benefits.

Phantom_Flan_Flinger

andym6561 wrote: »

Anyone know how much the bus is from luton to whipsnade is? also if you would plan on going there at least 3 times a year you would be better off with the friends annual pass which gives you access to Whipsnade and London Zoo for £48.50 if you pay by direct debit plus other benefits.

Best bet is to ring up Centrebus on 0844 357 6520 for prices.

Personally I'd get the bus from Hemel Hempstead station rather than Luton station. It works out as almost 30 minutes less. Of course the decision could depend on where you're coming from.
London main station for Luton is St Pancras and for Hemel it's Euston.

feesh

KeithP wrote: »

Where abouts on the South Coast?
Somewhere between Southampton and Hastings?

If so, have you considered the Southern DaySave train ticket?
Basically, you can travel all over the Southern network for £10 per adult or £20 for upto 4 adults and £1 per child. See their website for details.

If the DaySave ticket is any use, I would suggest travelling to Clapham Junction and changing there to a train to Hemel Hempstead. The train to Hemel Hempstead is still a Southern service, so still with the one DaySave ticket.

The X31 bus, mentioned above by brogusblue, actually goes from Luton to Hemel Hempstead via Whipsnade, so is still useful. X31 timetable here.
You will see that it only takes approx 30mins from HH, but about an hour from Luton.

Hope this helps.

There are actually direct trains on this route to Hemel and Berkhamsted, both of which have transport links to Whipsnade (I live in Berko).

touch*my*food*feel*myfork

loulou123 wrote: »

Thinking of going to Whipsnade zoo on the saturday of the bank holiday in August.

It has to be a day trip only, due to commitments and we will be going on the train.

Weve never been before (although we did go to London Zoo earlier in the year.) and it'll be quite a trek in one day as we are on the south coast.

We need to get a 2 hour train to Victoria, then the underground to St Pancreas, then a train on to Luton. In total nearly 4 hours each way. Then a taxi to and from the zoo.

Its also going to be quite costly, as you can imagine.

Has anyone been? Is it worth this sort of trek for one day? Is it a "nice" zoo etc.

Ive been to London Zoo, Berlin Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, Marwell, Longleat, and chessington in the last couple of years will i be disappointed by Whipsnade, as it receives very mixed reviews on the internet.

Any opinions/advice appreciated.

Hi
I too live in Luton and whilst i agree with everyone her that it is a great place to visit, i really think a 4 hour trip, all day at the zoo and another 4 hour trip home is too much in one day. (without even thinking about the costs!!)

I would suggest visiting somewhere a little nearer or perhaps going into london and visiting places there - perhaps one of the museums or the aquarium.

I hope you have a great day either way.