Beale Park is a wildlife park in Berkshire set on a 350 acre site right next to the River Thames. It houses a collection of over 160 different species of animals as well as stunning gardens, lake, play parks and a miniature railway. Basically it’s got everything!
This is Baby Bear’s favourite place to visit. We’ve been 5 or 6 times in the last 2 years. We live within a half hour drive and there’s so much to see and do we never get bored there. The staff have always been really friendly too, from the friendly greeting at reception when you arrive to the knowledgeable animal keepers who answer all sorts of random questions from the kids!
When we arrive I always love to have a stroll around the Japanese garden. It’s generally quiet and such a pretty place. There are red bridges and seating areas and ponds with plenty of ducks and pretty plants.
The Japanese Garden leads to the pampas walk which will give you serious pampas envy, I’ve never seen so many anywhere else! The Capybara, Rhea and Tapir can all be found near the pampas so make sure you head down that way or you’ll miss them.
The huge play ground area is often our next stop. The playground is made up of several different play areas including an enclosed play village for little ones. Baby Bear loves this part as there are various different Little Tikes ride on cars, trucks, carriages, etc and houses, slides, fuel pumps, roads. It’s literally like a cute mini village. For bigger kids there is a huge pirate ship and a multi frame play ground with swings, see-saws, balance things, etc. The giant sand pit is a big hit too. My kids would happily just spend all day in the play grounds! During the summer months the large, shallow paddling pool is also open so take along your swim suits and towels.
The Peacock restaurant next to the playgrounds sells a variety of drinks, hot meals and snacks. It’s about average prices for these kind of places, i.e. not the cheapest but not horrific either. There are plenty of places to have a picnic if you prefer to take your own food. There are several peacocks who roam around freely in this area, so keep an eye on your food!
On the opposite side of the restaurant are some huge aviaries with a variety of colourful, exotic birds, otters and more. There is also a brand new Twilight Zone where you can see nocturnal animals which is really fascinating. The giant-eyed slender loris were my favourite.
There are many enclosures around the park with a large variety of birds and mammals. Our particular favourites include the owls, zebra, goats (I just love their cheeky personalities!) deer, lemurs and lynx. There are so many I couldn’t list them all!
The meerkat keeper talk is worth going along to,I learned so much about them that I didn’t know! They are right next to the raccoons which I could also watch for hours.
There are several keeper talks throughout the day for different animals so it’s worth checking whats on during your visit. Often during school holidays there are special events to enjoy too. On our visit during October half term we got to handle some creatures which was great!
We were lucky enough on our last visit to see the lynx being fed. The zoo keepers hid the meat around the enclosure for them to find. It was fascinating to watch the lynx ‘hunting’ for their food.
Baby Bear’s highlight of visiting Beale Park is of course the train ride. No visit is complete without a ride on the train! The ride lasts about 10 minutes or so and takes you past loads of the animals, giving you a great view of them.
There really is so much to see at Beale Park that you can easily spend a full day there. In fact we’ve visited multiple times and always see something different. They are constantly upgrading enclosures and adding new things to see. This is a great family day out for all ages and I cannot recommend it enough.
If you live nearby its worth taking advantage of the Beale Park Fiver Friday offer. During term time on Fridays you can pay just £5 each for entry after 3:30pm and one adult gets in free with each child ticket. The park is open until 5pm so although this deal only gives you 1 and a half hours to explore its surprising just how much you can see in that space of time.
Facilities Checklist
- Toilets / Disabled Toilet Yes
- Pushchair / Wheelchair Friendly Yes
- Disabled Access One carer admitted free, two wheelchairs available to borrow, disabled parking bays, wheelchairs and mobility scooters welcome.
- Dog Friendly No, assistance dogs only.
- Refreshments available Two restaurants selling hot lunches, snacks and drinks.
- Car Park Yes large free car park
- Gift Shop Yes
- Baby facilities High chairs, baby changing.
Address: Lower Basildon, Pangbourne, Reading RG8 9NW
Price Band: ££
Website: https://bealepark.org.uk/
Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Beale Park. This is a review from our own self-paid visits and all words, opinions and photos on this post are that of my own.
