Chester Zoo - Then & Now

On Sunday we were invited to visit Chester Zoo by the very generous people at Matalan. After a spell of rain and central heating we were graced with a lovely, sunny day! Unfortunately due to said rain, we were completely unprepared for the heat and I ended up sweating my *ahem* toes off in my winter boots! But I digress...

Matalan kindly sent us a voucher for each child so they could be smartly dressed for our visit. I had actually only been to the store the week before and purchased some of their clothes as I love the selection they have and they have always lasted really well. This time, I bought H a gorgeous spotty flared skirt that I had seen in the store before and struggled to resist. I teamed this with a black and white t-shirt and some white tights, along with some braces as the skirt was a little on the big side. I had previously bought her some leopard print boots from the store, so these finished her outfit off perfectly.

For J I kept it pretty simple with some jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. To top it off I ordered him this lovely chunky knit cardigan.

It was lovely, however it didn't stay on for long as it was just too hot!

Looking lovely in their Matalan attire

The last time we were at Chester Zoo was for Mr H's 30th (oh so long ago!). H was 15 months, the same age as Baby J is now, in fact! She had just started making animals sounds so we loved listening to her roaring at the lions and quacking at the ducks as she toddled about. It is one of those days that makes me smile to think back on.

H aged 15 months

H aged 2 years, 9 months

J is not quite up there with his speech, but he has just started to roar, so of course a visit to the lions was a must.

However he seemed to roar at most things, particularly the fake bears next the the Speckled Bear enclosure, that was a favourite!

My favourite part of the zoo has always been the butterflies, I remember H in her buggy last time, pointing out with glee as they fluttered over her head. This time we walked through together and she gasped as they landed inches from her little fingers and flitted their wings, showing off their beautiful colours.

Enjoying the butterflies 18 months ago

A place we hadn't visited last time, I think I may have wussed out, was the Bat enclosure. I have to say, we all loved it! I though the children, particularly H, may freak out a bit at the dark and the bats swooshing very close. However I stayed close by and pointed them out as they flew past and she really enjoyed it. One actually flew right past our faces and I could feel the breeze from its wings, which made me shriek in surprise, but I quickly laughed so as to reassure H and she thought it was great. I think this is the place I will take away with me this visit.

The best place for the children, though, were the enclosures further out. They are always quieter and it meant both of them were free to run around without fear of losing them in the crowd. They loved playing, chasing after each other and stopping to look through into each enclosure as we passed.

We had a lovely day and it was really great for us to get out a family as it can be quite infrequent of late. Thank you to Matalan for organising it for us.

*We were provided with entry to the zoo and clothes for the children, however all opinions are my own