A Birthday Trip to Remember: Albie Turns 11 at Exmoor Zoo

Birthdays in our house usually involve a bit of planning, a few changed ideas, and eventually landing on something that just feels right. This year for Albie’s 11th birthday was no different.

At first, he had his heart set on going away for the weekend to a holiday park. But after a bit of thought, he decided he’d rather stay closer to home.

Being the animal-loving boy that he is, the decision was quickly made — another visit to one of our long-time family favourites: Exmoor Zoo.

A Place Full of Memories

Over the years, even before I relocated down to North Devon, we’ve made many trips to Exmoor Zoo. It’s not far from us and sits in the stunning surroundings of Exmoor National Park, making the journey itself part of the experience.

While Albie may have grown out of his dinosaur phase (which once dominated everything from toys to bedtime stories), thankfully his love for animals is still going strong.

These days he’s particularly fascinated by reptiles and big cats. His favourites include the impressive Asian water monitor and, of course, the big cats — especially the jaguar and puma.

Exmoor Zoo is perfectly suited for that fascination as it’s well known for its pumas and the local legend surrounding the mysterious “Exmoor Beast”.

A Classic North Devon March Day

As anyone who lives in North Devon knows, March weather can be a little unpredictable. The sun didn’t make an appearance during our visit, but thankfully the rain stayed away — which in itself felt like a small victory.

The boys, Craig, his eldest daughter, my mum and I all headed over together and arrived around 11am.

One of the lovely things about visiting at this time of year is that it’s much quieter than the busy summer months. The zoo wasn’t crowded at all, which meant we could wander at our own pace and spend time properly watching the animals.

The boys particularly enjoyed stopping to observe the monkeys, lynx, otters and dingoes, who always seem to have plenty of personality.

Lunch, Warm Drinks and a Little Refuel

Another reason Exmoor Zoo has always scored highly with me is that it’s Loren-friendly when it comes to food. There are gluten-free options available along with simple favourites like jacket potatoes.

Normally we pack lunch and just grab a cuppa from the café, but this time we decided to sit down and all eat together. It was the perfect excuse to warm up a bit and recharge before heading back out for more exploring.

Afternoon Wanderings

After lunch we continued our slow wander around the zoo, revisiting some of the animals that hadn’t been out earlier in the day. The bush dogs and clouded leopards made an appearance later on, which was definitely worth the second visit.

One of the joys of a quieter day at the zoo is that you can take your time — watching behaviours, spotting movement in the enclosures, and appreciating the incredible variety of animals, birds and reptiles they care for there.

A Tradition to Finish the Day

No trip would be complete without a stop in the gift shop. Over the years we’ve developed a bit of a household tradition — wherever we travel in the UK or abroad, we always bring home a fridge magnet.

So of course, another magnet was added to the ever-growing collection on our fridge.

A small souvenir perhaps, but one that marks another lovely family day out and a very happy 11th birthday for Albie.

And sometimes, the simplest celebrations —

surrounded by animals, family and fresh Exmoor air

— turn out to be the best ones of all. 🐾🎂