Twycross Zoo has become a firm family of ours over the last few years. With two children, aged 6 and 9, the annual pass based off one ticket purchase has really been beneficial for a low cost day out during the six weeks or on a random weekend. Therefore, it was a no brainer for a half-term activity to visit Twycross Zoo's Halloween event - the Room on a Broom corn maze.

Unfortunately, half-term has not played ball with the weather. Whilst we had talked about the impending visit, and how it would inevitably be our standard start at the gibbons (Calum's fav) with a must-see hello of both the chameleon (for Skye) and the flamingos (my own favourite animal), the steady downpour of rain on Monday did not perturb us from visiting, but it did alter the lay of the land at Twycross.

While we arrived full of excitement just after doors open (10am), the downpour didn't falter our visit to the always playful gibbons (the baby has grown lots since our summer visit and the usual fighting pair were on fine performative form), the moment we stepped back out into the rain, we noticed many an animal missing from their usual playful display. The caybaras thankfully were on hand to say hello, and the chameleon was firmly in place. However, most of the monkeys were hidden out of sight, with the enclosure understandably closed as a result of the storm. And obviously, there were no flamingos for me, but the penguins certainly made up for that absence as, like us they did not mind the rain, in exchange for a playful interaction through the glass.

However, there were positives. Longer was spent looking at animals we normally by pass. The rhinos were in their compound. Up close and personal. The kids could really take their time seeing them and watching their behaviour. The red lemur made a rare appearance and had Skye captivated and the reptile zone became a firm shelter from the storm for some real extensive observation. Throw into the mix the installation of the lanterns for the upcoming Lanterns of the Wild event, and there was plenty of magical happenings enhancing the surrounds to keep the kids in awe even through the rain.

Then came time to brave a departure from our safe haven in the reptile zone to the corn maze. Room on a Broom is a firm story favourite in my household and has been for a long time, but in the downpour, our maze visit proved a fleeting affair. Luckily neither child is precious about mud, and so running around the maze proved no issue, but rather the simplicity of the maze route and the fact we could not get lost in real time proved more of a disappointment to my two than if we'd have had to stop and consult google maps for an appropriate exit!

With a subsequent visit to the Gruffalo Trail followed by a couple of fair ground rides, we opted for the always yummy food options in the vain hope of spotting the snow leopard (although Skye was thrilled by the lantern replica), we decided that a mid afternoon finish was plenty in the rain and we headed home.

With a lesser venue, a rainy day may have been a real washout. Twycross Zoo once again delivered. It may have been wet, and some moments had to be missed, but there were still plenty of opportunities to really relish the fun of the zoo and it's activities, and now all I am hearing is whether we can return for the Lanterns of the Wild in a few weeks time...

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