Wild Warwickshire

Starting Point: Twycross Zoo

Burton Road, Atherstone, CV9 3PX

Twycross is famous for its apes and it’s where you can see all four species of great ape - gorilla, orangutan, chimpanzee and bonobo - in one place. The bonobos are particularly special - female-led, affectionate and endlessly fascinating to observe, they are worth arriving early for - the great apes tend to be at their most active in the morning.

Beyond the primates, the zoo cares for around 500 animals across almost 100 species, including snow leopards, Asian elephants, Amur leopards (among the rarest big cats on earth), penguins, giraffes and meerkats. The walk-through lemur enclosure is a highlight. For those who want to go deeper, behind-the-scenes experiences include giraffe feeding and a Junior Keeper experience working alongside keepers to care for the critically endangered Eastern black rhino - both must be booked well in advance.

Allow 3–4 hours minimum.

Travel

• 14 miles, 20 minutes

Stop 2: Lucky Tails Alpaca Farm, Atherstone

Dexter Lane, Hurley, Atherstone, CV9 2JQ

The perfect counterpoint to the morning. Lucky Tails is a small, award-winning and genuinely friendly farm set in beautiful Warwickshire countryside on the county's northern borders. The alpaca walk is the signature experience - you harness your chosen alpaca and head out through the farm at a leisurely pace, with time to stop, photograph and get to know them properly. The meerkat encounter is equally engaging - step inside the enclosure with handlers and the meerkats come to say hello, climb, feed and investigate entirely on their own terms.

The combined alpaca walk and meerkat encounter runs for around three hours and is the most popular booking. Miniature donkey experiences and micro pig sessions can also be added. Drinks and snacks are available from the Alpaca Coffee Shack on site. 

Pre-booking is essential and popular sessions sell out, particularly at weekends and school holidays. Allow at least 72 hours when booking. Children under 13 share an alpaca with a paying adult.

Stop 3: Hatton Adventure World, Warwick

Dark Lane, Hatton, Warwick, CV35 8XA | Open 10am–5pm

Hatton Adventure World packs a genuine variety of animal encounters into one site. The Guinea Pig Village lets younger visitors cuddle and handle guinea pigs and rabbits; the Scales and Tails area is home to snakes, spiders, reptiles, tortoises and more. Outside, farmyard paddocks house pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, sheep and llamas, with interactive feeding sessions and a tractor safari through the surrounding countryside. A range of hands-on animal handling sessions can also be booked on the day. 

Allow 3 hours. A café is on site for lunch before heading to the next stop which is a two-minute walk away.

Travel

• 2 minutes on foot within the Hatton Country World site.

Stop 5: Stratford Butterfly Farm, Stratford-upon-Avon

Swan's Nest Lane, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 7LS 

A warm and unhurried end to two days of animals. The farm is a tropical greenhouse environment - humid and lush and home to hundreds of free-flying butterflies from around the world. In this rainforest setting of waterfalls, fish-filled pools and flowering tropical plants butterflies may land on you of their own accord; please don't touch them as their wings are delicate.

Beyond the Flight Area, the Discovery Zone follows the lifecycle of a butterfly through to emergence; Minibeast Metropolis houses stick insects, axolotls, frogs, snakes, leafcutter ants and some of the world's largest spiders; and the Rainforest Realm features venomous Sumatran pit vipers, a rhinoceros rat snake and a spectacled caiman in its own cenote.

Allow 60–90 minutes. Your hand is stamped on entry and you may go round as many times as you like. The farm is right in the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon, making it easy to combine with a riverside walk or an early evening meal before heading home.