Twycross Zoo :: Lanterns of the Wild

Hi there everyone 😀

Back in February we had a very wet, but brilliant, evening out with mum and my brother and his family at the Lanterns of the Wild light trail at Twycross Zoo …

Martin and I have been to see this kind of lantern trail before … at Longleat … a number of years ago and we were quite excited to have something similar on our doorstep.

The weather forecast was a shocker … heavy rain all evening … and we just decided we would just all have to get wet and make the best of it.

We were all dressed for the weather so were soon on our way …

Obviously before we began there had to be something for Bobby to wave about crazily. He thought this was very cool as, if he waved it fast enough, when photographed it looked like a WiFi symbol 😂😂😂

It was a really well laid out route … with lots of big reveals along the way and something fabulous around every corner. We started off with, what was claimed to be, the World’s first Gruffalo lanterns … reached via a footpath lined with butterflies and tropical flowers … we could see there was going to be lots of photo taking going on and we were really glad that the weather seemed to have kept the crowds away …

We met up with The Gruffalo and his friends …

… before a toasted marshmallow stop for David and Bobby …

We carried on from The Gruffalo trail, along a rose filled walkway … the flowers were all absolutely stunning …

We arrived in North America where the salmon were leaping …

… and the moose were roaming against the backdrop of Mount Rushmore …

We then found ourselves, with the penguins, in the Antarctic …

Judging from the number of cacti I believe our next stop was the desert … though it was maybe not quite as dry as it should have been …

I think you can tell from this photo that, although pretty wet, we were all in very good spirits. The lanterns were fabulous and they were laid out in such a way that we couldn’t really tell what was coming next. There were certainly plenty of oohing and hanging going on. 

We moved on from the desert to the Asian Jungle … where the weather was far more authentic …

I think the next area was my absolute favourite … the Great Barrier Reef. The colours were just so vibrant and there was so much going on.  It was absolutely stunning …

The lantern trail finished on the African Plains …

It had been absolutely brilliant and, whilst not quite as big an area as the display we’d seen at Longleat, it was definitely every bit as spectacular. We were all wet, we’d waded through mud and puddles, but we’d all had a fabulous time. The rain hadn’t spoilt our enjoyment one bit. 

There was just one more stop before a well deserved hot chocolate …

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Lodge Life :: January 2026

Hi there everyone 😀

Since we’ve had The Lodge it’s become a bit of a tradition for Jackie and Phil to join us for a few days over the New Year.

We started off 2026 with a lovely few days out and about … seeing all kinds of weather. We had plenty of rain, a good bit of sunshine and plenty of snow was forecast.

We spent New Year’s Day very local … with a walk on a vast and deserted beach …

We walked to Hafen y Mor, the local holiday park …

… where we had a wander up and over the railway line to the other side of the park … something Martin and I hadn’t done before. We found lots more activities … including an amusement arcade, shops and restaurants …

And I know I’d promised no more Christmas trees until November but I’d forgotten about this last one …

We stopped for a warm up and a drink in the pub before retracing our steps and back to the car …

The following day we headed to the old Ynysypandy slate cutting mill at Cwmystradllyn.

It was bitingly cold and there was plenty of snow on the hills, but we wrapped up well and walked down the lane to the mill …

It really is in the most beautiful spot and Martin and I just love it here …

The ruins of the mill are fascinating …

… and the views in every direction are just stunning … though completely different weather wise in each direction on this visit. It’s hard to believe the photos were taken within a few minutes of each other …

After we’d finished at the mill we drove further along the lane, past the cafe in the middle of nowhere, to the lake … where just Phil and I got out to have a closer look. It would definitely be a lovely picnic spot in the summer …

On Jackie and Phil’s last morning we headed into Porthmadog, where we took in the views of the snow capped peaks …

… before heading into Spooners at the station for breakfast … which was just the job.

Before waving them off we were lucky enough to catch some steam activity …

… and more fabulous views from along the platform …

It really is a lovely spot to while away a few hours … at all times of year. 

As Jackie and Phil headed for home, hoping not to get caught in too much snow, we headed back to the lodge … which is pretty much where we stayed for the next few days.

The snow really came down and, whilst it was lovely, we were getting a little concerned about getting home …

In the end we decided to avoid the mountains and opted for the A55 and M6 and got very lucky with a pretty clear run.

That’s it now for the season … we will be back in March 😀😀😀

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