Day trip for a 1 and 2 yr old

[Monnie]

Any ideas?

It's DS 1st birthday and I'll also have my nephew with me, so was hoping to take them somewhere that would entertain both.

I thought of a petting zoo, but both the local ones have been closed since foot and mouth (although I live in London!).

Any suggestions would be great.

Tx

i took my ds (2yrs) to a farm in Godstone recently and it was fantastic - i can't remember the name but i'll get the details tonight for you. It's junction 6 off M25 - approx. 40 mins from London. It's designed for children, lots of schools & summer camps take trips there - explanations of all the animals and the little stories accompanying them are very well thought out and manage to capture their interest - although 1yr may be too young! But, it's a good way of introducing them to the 'animal world' esp. if they've been seeing them in books & films (my ds is a jungle book addict so was v. excited) - then the best bit (!!) was a play area with a ball pond, slides, climbing frames etc and a special area for under 1yrs. Also - it was free - unless we just 'missied' the paying counter .....?! Would be good if your nephew is a bit older but just for a 1yr old may be a bt premature .....

Where abouts in London are you, Monnie? Battersea Park Zoo is wonderful for kids of all ages, I'd say and not very expensive- a few quid for adults, half price for kids and free for under 2s, if I remember rightly. There are just enough "exotic" animals- monkeys, fennic foxes, otters etc to keep an older child interested but it's small and cozy enough too, with a petting section, pony rides and a playground. And there's always the rest of the park available to explore for a change of scene.
Queen's Park in W London has a small free petting zoo- just a few rabbits, ducks, goats and a sheep that looked on its last legs!- and also a fantastic littlies playground, so that might be worth thinking about too.
Vauxhall City Farm is another small scale and charming place for kids to have contact with animals.
Don't know if any of these are travellable for you but I'd recommend any of them.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

I live in Sutton (ie Greater London), so anything in S London is great, although it is possible to get across to the rest of London from here.

Emilys, I was told that Godstone Farm was closed. Thanks for putting me straight.

I'm afraid that Godstone Farm is not free - you either pay as you enter the carpark or at the shop if the kiosk isn't manned - plenty of notices to tell you. Costs £4.10 for a parent/child combo. But an excellent place and they have a sister farm in Epsom, so it all depends on which side of Sutton you are I guess. They have a website www.godstonefarm.co.uk
They have signs up saying that they are open everyday except for Christmas Day.