Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens

The drive into Cotswold Wildlife Park takes you through proper parkland - rolling grounds that feel more like you're visiting someone's grand estate than a zoo. Once you're through the gates near Burford, you realise the whole operation unfolds across 160 acres of gardens and meadows, which makes a real difference to how the animals live and how you experience them.

You'll see everything from big cats to giraffes, lemurs to red pandas, all roaming fairly spacious enclosures rather than cramped pens. The gardens themselves are genuinely worth the visit even if you're not fussed about the wildlife - there's a proper maze, a lake, and enough peaceful corners to sit and actually think. Children tend to last here longer than at busier zoos because they can run between exhibits without feeling herded.

Historically it's interesting too - the house at the centre dates back to the 1800s, and the whole place has that slightly eccentric English charm of somewhere that evolved over decades rather than being designed by committee. Allow a full day if you've got kids; three or four hours minimum if you're just passing through. The entrance fee isn't cheap but it's worth budgeting for.

If you're staying at Burford Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite just down the road, you're perfectly positioned. Wysdom Touring Park is barely two miles away, and Grove Farm Glamping Pods another few miles beyond. Honestly, it's the sort of place that justifies staying in the area for a few days rather than rushing through.