Humph, just as I was starting to love Edinburgh Zoo....

[rookiemater]

they go and close the cafe with the soft play over winter. Is this standard practice and why is the members cafe always closed at weekends because of functions.

Feels a bit mean as we have annual membership and with it being cold outside was hoping to kill half an hour in the soft play. Oh well it did mean that DS for the first time in his life expressed a minimal amount of interest in the animals.

this is interesting and disappointing! we were considering membership and certainly having second thoughts now.

Well I don't know, we have been to the zoo on and off for years, and were members one year, and we've never once been in the cafe nor felt the need to. I didn't even know there was a soft play. (Of course we pick sunny days to go ).

i am letting my memberships lapse this year because the chief exec thinks its a good idea to sell zoo land to developers for house building - its just like the 1980's!

Which is the members cafe? (sorry for hijack)

Ah Planetearth you will be one of those rare parents with DCs that are interested in animals.

I do try my best, I asked DS what his favourite animal was on the way to the zoo and his spontaneous answer was "soft play" when advised that this was not an animal he opted for " play area".

Bitofadramaqueen the members cafe is up the stairs in the mansion house. They do soup, sarnies and pancakes and it has a nicer atmosphere than the cafes.

Thanks rookiemater. Will check it out next time we go.

Make sure it's not at the weekend though or it will be shut for a special function

Noted

My ds's favourite place at the zoo is on the chairs inside the Budongo trail! Never mind looking at the chimps, nah, climbing up and down the steps is much more fun. We often kill half an hour in there when it's cold!!

I know what you mean though, it's a bit annoying that it's shut.

Yes this pissed me off big time last time we went. It was cold and drizzly and while we did tour the animals, DS was looking forward to the soft play and so was I as I thought it would be less busy for once. Ended up with tears as I had told him we would go to that cafe (though I much prefer the member's one obv.)

We are members, they could have just sent me a blardy email.

And to be fair, while it's a big zoo, it doesn't really specialise in thrilling animals does it? The big cats are usually out of sight, and there are a lot of somewhat dull birds and deer-like things. No elephants or giraffes, no reptiles. DS likes the primates and the penguins which are the only places you'll really be guaranteed something to look at.

Funny enough MDB I started a thread deploring the lack of exciting animals some time ago, I hope no one outs me in RL if I am at the zoo . But we had got over that, particularly with the cute baby pygmy hippo, even if DS will only stay inside for about 5 seconds, claiming quite rightly, that it was too smelly to stay.

But yes I know they have to eak out their funds and I'm sure they have lost a lot of corporate sponsorship, but they must realise that a large proportion of their annual memberships are families with young children.