Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital is world renowned for its care of animals. Since opening in 1978 over 200,000 patients have been treated at the hospital. It specialises in the treatment and rehabilitation of native British wildlife. The vetinary team have pioneered new treatments which are now widely used across the country. Animals are treated free of charge and where possible are returned to their natural habitat. Any animals that cannot be released back in to the wild are cared for at the sanctuary for the rest of their lives.
This amazing place is open to the public and I highly recommend you visit. Each day the board in reception is updated with what animals they have in the hospital that day. It changes constantly thanks to their 24 hour service taking in rescues whenever needed. Of course not all of the animals are on show to the public but there are a wide range that are.
The animals all have habitats which are as natural as possible at the hospital. The hedgehog gardens are designed to mimic a normal garden for the hedgehogs to explore. As hedgehogs are normally nocturnal you wouldn’t often see them. The ones at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital however have long term medical problems and can therefore often be seen wondering around during the day.
When you arrive reception will give you a print out with the timetable of the day. There are usually a couple of hedgehog talks which are well worth going to. We learned so much and got to see the hedgehogs really close up which was lovely.
Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital is home to (probably) the only hedgehog museum in the world. It literally has everything you can imagine with hedgehogs on it from bikes to ornaments, clothing and even a sonic the hedgehog arcade machine! It’s a little treasure trove. I spotted a few things I remember from my childhood!
As we continued our walk around Tiggywinkles we found the large pond which is home to ducks, geese and gulls. Again its a lovely natural habitat for them to enjoy.
Further on are my favourites, the foxes. They are so cute and I love it when you see them playing together. The day we visited they were happily enjoying snoozing in the sunshine.
Ravens, tortoises, red kites and various deer also call Tiggywinkles home. We really liked the hide where you can watch the deer with binoculars. Many of them are missing legs due to collisions with cars and simply wouldn’t survive in the wild. Here they are safe and can enjoy the freedom of a large natural enclosure.
Near the deer hide is a large garden area with lots of picnic tables. This is an ideal spot to have a picnic as there’s also lots of ride on toys and a play park to enjoy. The ride on toys are a big hit, as is the zip wire. There is a second picnic area in a shaded patio next to the entrance.
If you forget to take your own picnic you can purchase sandwiches etc from reception for a reasonable price. There are also a large variety of gifts and souvenirs. Again these are all reasonably priced.
The Verdict
In total we spent about 3 hours at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital. It’s not a huge place but we took our time wandering round, had a picnic and a play in the park then went back to a couple of things we wanted to see again. There are various talks and feeding times you can go and see throughout the day. It’s amazing the things you can learn at these! Some of the patients and baby animals being treated in the hospital can be seen through special viewing windows as well. I really love this place, especially as it’s a charity and so every penny you spend there helps the animals in their care. It’s suitable for all ages (including the grandparents!) and is pushchair/wheelchair friendly.
Facilities Checklist
- Toilets / Disabled Toilet Yes
- Pushchair / Wheelchair Friendly Yes
- Disabled Access Carers admission free of charge. Mobility scooter and wheelchair available to borrow.
- Dog Friendly No dogs except assistance dogs
- Refreshments available Sandwiches, drinks and snacks available in the gift shop.
- Car Park Yes free parking on site
- Gift Shop Yes
- Baby facilities Baby changing. Toddler play area.
Address: Aston Road, Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, HP17 8AF
Price Band: £
Website: https://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/
