Longleat. Any tips?

[MrsWicket]

Off to Longleat in a couple of weeks. Never been. Taking DDs 9 and 7. Anything we should know or avoid? Thanks.

The food is very expensive and mostly grim, take a picnic. Everyone heads for the safari first so if you park the car first and do the house/maze etc the safari park is often quieter during lunch. At the Safari park, do bypass the moneys - they can and will wreck your car.

Don't drive through the monkey enclosure.

The little buggers pulled off my rear windscreen washer jet and poked out three of my four parking sensors.

Oh no, do drive through the monkey enclosure, they are ace! Disclaimer - they did not wreck our car and there were baby monkeys!

Don't go through the monkey enclosure they are trained mechanics wielding wrenches teeth.

Longleat is brilliant, make sure you can go back again as there is so much to do.

Do the safari in morning, in afternoon the animals have been fed and are less lively/lying around more.

Take picnic in car with you soifI kids get hungry you have access to it, not in boot as yet can't get out car during safari.

Get tickets with Tesco clubcard vouchers

You HAVE to do the monkeys! Though like HappyHippy we were fortunate that they didn't demolish our car.

Highlight of the day for DS was when one sat on the roof and did an enormous runny poo down the windscreen.

Thanks for the tips everyone!

Monkeys are great but they did wreck my car. Went again in new car and didn't go through them the 2nd time. I guess it depends on how much you want your car in one piece!
Love the maze, the butterflies and the bats (although they smell!)

Anymore tips please?

I read a MN review and it said do the safari boats and attractions first and go to the safari park drive through at the end of the day when it is usually quiet.

We are only going for a day and think we may not fit everything in dds ar 8,10 & 11 so what shall we miss out if we can't fit it all in?

TIA

Go to the toilet before going into the safari bit - if the lions lie in the gateway you can be there for a while!!!

How long does the drive around Safari take? I'm a bit gutted that last entry is at 4pm this week!

How long is a piece of string....

I'm sure at quiet times 20 min would be too long.... if it is busy, you can end up in a line of traffic for an hour and a half.. and if (as when we went !) the lions decide to lie down in the gateway and they have to send the landrover out to get them to shift it can take 2 bladder stretching hours....

I'll pack the travel potty and not just for the travel sick...

evening bump for some last minute tips...

Take the park bus through animal enclosures if worried about your car. Tour takes 1 1/2 - 2 hours £4 pp dcs said watching monkeys rip the cars to bits was the best bit. If you have very young dcs a 2 day stay will be needed if you want to see the whole place.

oh we went when it was really busy

We went in May this year, got there just as it opened and had a brilliant day.

Definitely make sure everyone goes to the toilet before you go into the safari (there's a basic block just as you go in) and take a drink and snack for the way round. You don't have to go through the monkey enclosure but you'll miss out on such a laugh if you don't. We did have minimal damage to the aerial but knew the risk, driving round the whole enclosure with a monkey on your wing mirror is something we still talk about.

Food is expensive, but is very good - we ate in the orangery. DH had a freshly cooked roast, he said it was lovely with lots of vegetables, and it was great to have real plates and cutlery.

It is the only attraction I've been to that has adult sized changing tables inthe disabled toilets, and they were clean and well maintained.

The train and boat rides as part of the entrance fee was a nice touch, often you have to say separately for these, it was great feeding the sealions too.