Holmes Chapel Zoo is a small, family-run zoo on Twemlow Lane, just off junction 18 of the M6, next to Bidlea Dairy. It grew out of Zoo2U, the team that has taken animals into schools and parties since 2012. The collection takes in meerkats, skunks, wallabies, owls, parrots, reptiles and small mammals, and it is still growing. You will see it all comfortably in a couple of hours.
Entry is £8.50 for adults and £6 for children aged 2 to 15, with under-2s free, and an advance family ticket for two adults and three children is £26. The ticket includes a timetable of keeper talks, hands-on animal encounters and the Wallaby Walkthrough, so check the times when you arrive. Meerkat encounters and keeper experiences are extra. It opens at 10am at weekends and 11am on weekdays.
The catch is the plumbing. There are no toilets on site, so you walk over to Bidlea Dairy cafe, which also does the coffee and ice cream, and you can bring those back into the zoo. Your own picnic is welcome too, as long as you eat it in the zoo. Paths are fine gravel, grass and matting, mostly fine for buggies though uneven in places. Parking is free by the entrance.
What it costs: From 31 July 2026: adult (16+) £8.50, child (2 to 15) £6, under-2s free, concessions £6, carers free. Advance family ticket (2 adults, 3 children) £26, bookable up to 36 hours ahead. Keeper and animal experiences cost extra.
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The Lovell Telescope is one of the largest steerable radio telescopes on Earth and it silences children on arrival. The First Light Pavilion and its Space Dome do the explaining; the arboretum and the playground do the running about. Open Tuesday to Sunday.
Holmes Chapel's soft play, on the business park by the village, with a multi-level frame, a separate toddler area and a baby area. No time limit on term-time weekdays; weekends and holidays run in two-hour sessions that need booking.
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