Nearest Animals & Wildlife Activities UK and Ireland
Our Animals and Wildlife category brings all Coast Radar’s listings related to looking for something to do or a place to visit together where they offer some form of animal or wildlife activity.
Finding the best things to see and do on a day out with your family or friends is easy – simply explore the animal and wildlife links below, hit the jump to my location button or use the search bar to plan your next UK and Ireland activity.
- The Big Sheep is an all weather attraction in North Devon. The Big Sheep is a great day family day out for children and adults. There’s a brewery, garden centre, sheepy shop, the indoor playground and outdoor laser guns. With live shows throughout the day including bottle-feeding lambs, sheep shearing, duck trails and much, much more.
- Pensthorpe is a nature reserve in the heart of the Norfolk countryside, near the town of Fakenham. It is a mix of woodland walks and nature trails. A popular Norfolk attraction, the beautiful gardens and its amazing wildlife never fail to disappoint. Visitors can wander round the lakes, meander along one of the many trails or stop to explore one of the projects protecting endangered species. There is also a gift shop and café serving home-cooked food. Pensthorpe is open every day www.pensthorpe.com
- Banham Zoo is a 50-acre zoo in Banham, Norfolk. It is privately owned and home to over 2,000 animals. Having opened its doors to the public in 1968, the zoo is now one of Norfolk’s top attractions with over 200,000 visitors a year. The zoo started with just a collection of pheasants and parrots in the late 1960s, acquiring a colony of woolly monkeys in 1971. Today, Banham Zoo has a wide range of different animals to see but still has a significant collection of smaller mammals and reptiles. The zoo is open throughout the year and has a coffee shop and restaurant on site, details at www.banhamzoo.co.uk
- Noss is a small island neighbouring Bressay in the Shetland Islands. Once an inhabited island, the remaining population left in 1939 and now Noss is a sheep farm and a National Nature Reserve. The highest point on Noss stands at 181m and on a clear day, you can see most of Shetland. The island itself is heaving with bird activity as the imposing cliffs of Noup house thousands of seabirds. Access to Noss is via a seasonal ferry service, maintained by the reserve’s wildlife wardens.
- Blakeney National Nature Reserve consists of unspoilt coastline with areas of rare habitats such as pristeen saltmarsh, vegetated shingle and sand dunes. Important breeding area for sea-bird colonies and grey and common seals at Blakeney Point.
- One of the UK’s best known aquariums the Blackpool SEA LIFE centre houses Europe’s most comprehensive collection of tropical sharks. It also features literally dozens of displays of all conceivable shapes and sizes, showcasing native and tropical marine life, plus a superb Amazone exhibition, complete with piranhas and poison dart frogs.
- The Islay Natural History Trust Nature Centre is a great place to visit for young and old. Exhibits include aquariums and laboratory. The centre also has a large collection of biological records The Islay Natural History Trust was established in 1984vdedicated to wildlife and geology on Islay with the aim to get as many people interested in Islay’s beauty.
- At Bede’s World you can learn all about Bede and the Anglo-Saxon way of life in Northumbria. IncludesDemonstration farm and meet the animals including wild boar pig, goat and goose. Replica buildings made of wattle and daub – built with truly original materials and methods using skills that would have been present around 700AD. Cafe. Souvenir and gift shop.
- Undisturbed by cars, the island of Lundy has a small village with an inn, Victorian church and the 13th-century Marisco Castle. The Island has a variety of migratory seabirds, heathland and grassland habitats and the Lundy ponies. Designated the first Marine Conservation Area, Lundy offers opportunities for diving and seal watching.
- The Blue Reef Aquarium is home to over 40 living displays, from tropical sharks and lobsters to seahorses and tropical fish. At the Aquarium’s heart is a large ocean tank where an underwater walkthrough tunnel offers close encounters with the tropical coral reef fish. Other displays are home to poison dart frogs, nautilus, toxic toads, turtles, terrapins, and otters.
