It seems the whole of the country is going penguin crazy, thanks to a certain Christmas advert from John Lewis. Monty the Penguin has his own Twitter feed and growing fan-base, and rightly so – penguins rock!
If you have little fans of penguins, then there are some ace places you can go around the UK to get a good look at them feeding, preening, swimming, and generally just being awesome.
1) London Zoo – here is a huge outdoor penguin enclosure with a brand new and much improved viewing area. Ricky the Rockhopper is their resident VIP (very important penguin) and he is friends with me on Facebook. Honest. Have a look at our review of London Zoo. Katy Hill took a trip there in half-term and loved them too! Read all about her half-term action here.
2) Harewood House, Leeds – Harewood House is a great stately home just to the north of Leeds in Yorkshire. It was the start of 2014’s Tour De France, but is also permanent home to a wide range of birds, including some ace little penguins. Read our review of Harewood House
3) Sealife London Aquarium – this is an indoor exhibit alongside the usual tropical fish and turtle tanks. It gives us food for thought about the balance that needs to be achieved between entertainment, and conservation and animal welfare. Indoor exhibitions pose a challenge to animal keepers everywhere. Read Mrs C’s review of Sealife London Aquarium, and Penny’s review of Sealife Centre Birmingham
4) Edinburgh Zoo – Laura reckons it has the best penguin enclosure she has ever seen. Read her review of Edinburgh Zoo here. The baby penguin pics are simply wonderful, and we hope to find the time to get up there and meet them ourselves very soon.
5) Sewerby Hall and Gardens, East Yorkshire – we love Sewerby Hall. It has a little zoo which is perfect for young children, and while they don’t have many penguins, they are very friendly and look very happy. The zoo also isn’t very busy, so it’s easy to get up close. Read our review of Sewerby Hall and Gardens
Other places around the UK to see penguins
Drusilla’s Park – read our review here and Michelle’s here
Natureland Seal Sanctuary, Skegness
The Deep, Hull
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire
Where have you seen penguins? Please comment below to share your favourite penguin spotting location.
Birdland in Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire 🙂 Bourton on the Water also featured in Nativity 3, fact fans! (Although it was the model village, not Birdland).
The world has gone penguin crazy, thanks for the heads up of where to find them! Mich x