I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
  • Reviews
  • Recipes
    • Slow Cooker Fudge Recipes
    • Christmas Recipes
    • Easter Recipes
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • All Recipes
  • Travel
  • Blog
  • About
  • Featured In…
  • Work With Me/Contact
  • Reviews
  • Recipes
  • Travel

What the Redhead said

The Future's Bright, The Future's Ginger

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • As Featured In…
  • Work with Me

Days Out, Days Out and Attractions/Events, Reviews · June 24, 2022

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

Over the May bank holiday weekend we spent a couple of nights in Dudley. We had a break there last year on the way to Wales and wanted to see more of the area so we took the opportunity to go back to Blists Hill and the Black Country Living Museum but also went to Dudley Zoo and Castle for the first time.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

What is Dudley Zoo and Castle?

We’d never been to Dudley Zoo before and didn’t really know what to expect although I knew it was quite hilly! Hundreds of exotic and endangered animals inhabit the ancient wooded hillside that has been home to Dudley Zoo since 1937 when it was owned by the Third Earl of Dudley.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

Now run by the Dudley and West Midlands Zoological Society, the zoo has a rich geological history and sits around the ruins of the 11th century Dudley Castle. Plus, it shares the site with the world’s largest single collection of Modernist Tecton structures and the country’s only vintage chairlift.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

Dudley Zoo has a nice big car park right out front of it and there is a car parking charge of £3.50 but you could also visit the zoo by public transport as both bus and rail stations are just a short walk away.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

As soon as we walked into the zoo we were met with families of baboons playing on the hillside. Despite the rain, we knew we were in for a lovely day and couldn’t wait to see more animals. Spring is also such a nice time to visit as there are baby animals everywhere!

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

Next to the baboons there were play areas for the children and we loved that throughout the zoo there were play areas dotted around and also plenty of seating. Dudley Zoo is the sort of place where you can pace yourself for a full family day out, stopping for a play or snacks and drinks whenever you feel like it. It’s a really well thought out zoo despite how old it is!

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

From the very start of the zoo we could see the castle walls above us and the fantastic chairlift that we decided to use at the end of the day to come back down the hill. It definitely gave the kids something to look forward to!

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

We also passed the land train that can take passengers up and down the hill but we didn’t want to miss anything so decided to walk and take our time to see all the animals.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

We saw so many different birds – owls, flamingos and kookaburras before finding ourselves surrounded by the famous tecton buildings, housing arctic foxes, snow leopards tigers and much more. The Tecton structures give a really different look and feel to the zoo, being both modern but old at the same time. They’re really interesting and so different to any other animal enclosures we’ve seen before.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

Walking around Dudley Zoo is a real pleasure. Set within what is now the Dudley Zoological Gardens that surround the castle, there’s so much green space and vegetation surrounding the enclosures and the children loved how it’s such a nice outdoorsy day out.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

One of our favourite parts of the day was seeing otters, so keen to be fed, and also listening to a talk about the tigers. The staff are all so knowledgeable and friendly which really add to the day out. Plus, even on a wet or cold day the internal enclosure areas have plenty of viewing windows so you can easily spot the animals. We saw so many during our trip.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

There are so many photos dotted around the zoo showing current inhabitants but also all the exotic creatures that lived at Dudley Zoo in years gone by. We thought some of the Tecton enclosures looked like they’d been created for different species and then found that they used to have polar bears, orcas and elephants at the zoo at one point!

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

Half way through our trip we came to the castle, perched on the hill overlooking Dudley town. Even though it’s billed as ruins, the 11th century castle is still pretty magnificent, sitting in formal castle grounds, and you can go in different parts of it to learn about the castle history and also see other animals like creepy crawlies and bats.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

You can even climb the castle keep for even better views of the local area and the kids loved trying to spot our hotel and other familiar sights. Although Dudley Zoo is in a built up area, it still feels really spacious compared to city zoos we’ve been to in the past.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

We loved that the castle moat had been turned into a sea lion enclosure and the sea lions were happy to swim around and entertain us. I think they liked the rain too!

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

We loved exploring the zoo grounds, seeing so many species of animals and then, at the end, getting a very wet chair lift back to the start of the zoo. Before heading home we walked to the lower area of the zoo, past a little fun fair, to see orangutans, farm animals, the petting zoo and camels which we nearly missed!

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

There was the opportunity to go in the lorikeet enclosure and you can pay extra to feed them but, even without food, they land on you anyway. This isn’t the best place to go if you don’t like birds flying at you! But it’s definitely quite an experience.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

It was such a packed day out and we walked our socks off but had such a great time. At just over £60 for a family of four, Dudley Zoo is quite affordable compared to other zoos and animal parks across the country. I did think that maybe you get what you pay for and that Dudley Zoo wouldn’t be great – but it was such a lovely day out and we would definitely go back.

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

You can find out more about Dudley Zoo and Castle over on their website. Make sure you check opening times before you travel and you can book tickets online too. For reference, the address is: Dudley Zoo and Castle, Castle Hill, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 4QF

Here’s a little Reel we made of our trip:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Donna – What the Redhead Said (@genuineplacebo84)

Dudley Zoo and Castle Review
Dudley Zoo and Castle Review

In: Days Out, Days Out and Attractions/Events, Reviews

You’ll Also Love

Experiencing Daish’s Holidays – The Russell Hotel, Weymouth
Philips Dust Mite Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Review
Social Distancing at Kew Gardens

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Next Post >

Things to do in Billund Denmark with Kids

About Me
Hi everyone! I'm Donna. Mummy. Blogger. Social Media Manager. Traveller. Lover of stars, rainbows and gin. Firm believer that tea and cake can fix most things.

Sign up for Emails

looking for something?

Reader Favourites

Privacy Policy | Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 What the Redhead said · Theme by 17th Avenue