The Welsh Mountain Zoo in North Wales opened on 18 May 1963 and became the National Zoo of Wales in 2008. It was founded by the naturalist Robert Jackson and run by him and after his death by his family until 1983 when it was taken over by the Zoological Society of Wales. One of its more interesting features is its location, as the name suggests, high up a mountain with views of the sea as well as woodlands.
Bagthorpe Gardens are a community gardens I visited as part of the Heritage Open Day last year. They’ve been cultivated since the 1840s and have Grade II* listing with original hedging and restored bothies (a basic shelter).
Over the gloriously sunny Early May Bank Holiday weekend I paid a trip to Stonebridge City Farm to see the lambs, but they also had some young calves and a seriously inquisitive cockerel.
