Enjoy an unforgettable day out in Kent with a trip to Wildwood
Support one of Britain’s leading animal conservation charities with a visit to Wildwood Trust in Kent, enjoying the chance to spot some native British animals from years gone by and some rarely spotted resident species. With 40-acres of beautiful woodland and varied landscape, Wildwood trust offers the perfect outing for a spring or summers day.
Need to Know Basis
£££? Admission to the park costs £12.45 for adults and £9.95 for children before 31 March 2020. Prices go up a little bit for the summer, costing adults £13.45 and children £10.95 from 1 April 2020. This includes a voluntary 10% donation to their Conservation Projects!Where is it again? Their Kent park is located here: Wealden Forest Park, Canterbury Road, Herne, CT6 7LQ. It’s just a 5-mile drive from Canterbury city centre, and regular Stagecoach buses drop off at Wildwood whilst travelling via Canterbury and Herne Bay.
Top tip: travel to the park via public transport (and present a valid ticket) to receive 50% off the price of your ticket!
When can I go? The park is open 7-days a week, all year round. It’s currently open from 10am-5pm!
How long should I spend there? With over 200 resident animals, this 40-acre park will certainly keep you and the kids busy for a solid 3 or 4 hours. There’s also a café and adventure play park to keep the young ‘uns busy!
How do I find everything? Just download this handy map here.
A Bit More Detail
Unmissable bits
Wildwood Trust is home to over 40 species of animals that are native to Britain, from tiny water shrews to huge brown bears! The top three largest predators in Europe can be found at Wildwood Kent, a gang which includes the lynx cat, the brown bear and the grey wolf. All three of these animals have been driven to extinction in the UK, with bears and lynx being hunted out of the country over a thousand years ago, and the grey wolf sticking around till around the 15th century (17th century in Scotland!).
The park is also home to some animals that do still exist in the UK, but you’d be hard pressed to spot them roaming around your back garden! The heart-faced barn owl is star of their bird show, swooping around for mice and voles on spring and summer days, whilst a bevy of otters inhabits Wildwood’s watery dwellings. Find brown rats and black rats in the aptly named Rat House (although we wouldn’t judge you for wanting to swerve that one) and be sure to spot the cute little hedgehogs amongst fallen leaves and undergrowth.
There’s loads more to see at Wildwood, including red and arctic foxes, busy beavers and badgers, deer and even bison and boar. Check out the animals’ section of their site for a comprehensive list of the residents, as well as fascinating facts about each species.
Hidden gems
Want to learn about these animals from the experts themselves? Head down to Wildwood on weekends (and everyday throughout the school holidays) to see daily talks and feeds! Reindeer, Arctic Fox, Otter and Lynx talks take place throughout the day from 11am-2pm, with further talks advertised at the entrance throughout the day.
To get a little bit more involved with the animals then check out their selection of experiences available to book! The arctic fox experience, bear experience and wolf experience give you behind the scenes access to these extinct animals, and the junior keeper role offers you two-hours of zookeeper work experience! Finally, VIP night tours are the perfect chance to spot wolves and foxes in the dead of night!