longleat safari food

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Longleat Safari Park has just opened a brand new £1.5million restaurant

It will ensure Nico the gorilla is never forgotten

• 11:41, 28 MAR 2018

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With the launch of Being Brunel last week, the list of fantastic attractions in Bristol keeps on growing but there are plenty worth visiting outside the city, too.

One of the most popular within an hour's drive is Longleat, near Warminster, and for very good reason.

With plenty of attractions to keep the whole family entertained all day including a maze, vast safari park and Jungle Cruise it’s well worth the trip from Bristol.

But the food offering at Longleat hasn’t always been the best in the eyes of some, with a lack of choice and sometimes a lack of quality, they say.

However, that shouldn’t be the case any longer as the attraction has just opened a plush new restaurant and coffee house to keep families topped up throughout the day.

The ‘Chameleon Tree’ cost £1.5million to build and will provide visitors with an entirely revamped food offering in a contemporary dining area.

A giant photograph of one of Longleat’s most iconic and sadly-missed animals Nico the gorilla, who died in January at the age of 56 , features on one of the walls of the new eatery, which can cater for up 420 people inside at any one time - a 40 per cent increase of the previous capacity.

Food served will be “wholesome, contemporary comfort food in a welcoming environment,” said Longleat’s Paul Jackson.

“The new design makes fantastic use of space and, even though we are able to cater for significantly more customers, the restaurant retains an open and airy feel which is great for visitors and staff alike,” he added.

“Our restaurant will offer a selection of freshly-made meals; including rotisserie chicken, slow-cooked meats, exotic tagines, classic favourites and healthy salads.

“There’ll be something to suit every taste and we’re proud to be able to offer many more vegan, gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian options than ever before.”

For more information about Longleat, visit its website here .

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How To Save Money At Longleat Safari Park (5 Awesome Tips)

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Visiting Longleat Safari Park this Summer? This post is full of money-saving tips and tricks for when you visit Longleat including how to get cheap Longleat tickets, how to save money on food and more.

Save Money When Visiting Longleat Safari Park

The famous Longleat Safari Park is a popular summer day out here in the west country – we’re actually planning a trip ourselves at some point over the holidays.

While it does make for a fabulous day out and seeing all the animals roaming about is AMAZING, it certainly isn’t cheap.

Tickets to Longleat Safari Park for a family of four come in at well over £100, which feels like a lot when there are so many amazing activities out there for much less, or even for free. For us, visiting Longleat takes over an hour of travel time too, so there is also the cost of petrol to factor in.

However, the summer holidays are for having fun so we save extra hard to be able to do a few not so cheap things as a special treat. And of course, there are always ways to save a bit of extra cash when visiting Longleat too.

What Is The Best Time To Visit Longleat Safari Park?

In my opinion, the best time to visit Longleat Safari Park is during term time if you can and feel happy taking your children out of school or can fit it around an inset day.

If that doesn’t work then a weekend in the low season would probably be best in terms of how busy the park is. We’ve also been on a weekday during the school holidays which wasn’t too bad.

Our most recent trips have both been on school holiday weekends and I don’t think we would choose that time to go again.

The level of crowds and cars in the Safari meaning long queues meant we enjoyed these trips much less than previous ones.

1. Get Cheap And Discounted Longleat Tickets

Booking your tickets is by far the most expensive part of a trip to Longleat Safari park and looking back on trips from a couple of years ago ticket prices have increased by around £15 per ticket for adults.

However, there are a fair few ways you can get cheap and discounted Longleat Tickets

• Children Under 2 and carers go free
• 30% off tickets for Emergency Services workers, military personnel, NHS staff and Blue Light Card holders (ID/Blue Light Card required on arrival)
• Parties of 12 or more get 20% off
• Children with a Blue Peter Badge and Card go free with one full paying adult (although there are lots of T&Cs with this one so do double check before arrival)
• Tesco Clubcard Vouchers can be exchanged for Longleat Tickets
• Center Parcs Longleat guests can get a small discount on entry prices

If you’d like to find out more, I have a dedicated post which covers all of the above with more details about how and when these discounts can be used.

How To Get Cheap & Discounted Longleat Tickets (9 Ways!)

2. Take A Packed Lunch

Might sound obvious but taking a packed lunch will save you a fortune and means you can save your pennies for treats – we usually get ice creams! If you’re in need of thrifty lunch box inspiration check out this post .

We tend to munch ours while driving around the safari bit so save lugging bags about once inside the main park but will usually take a few drinks and snacks along with us.

3. Double Check Opening And Closing Times

If a day out is costing over £100 you want to ensure you make the most of every minute.

Park opening hours are longer during the summer so plan to arrive early and stay late.

This also means being able to make the most of attractions as queues will be shortest straight after opening and right before closing time.

Also, be aware that even after arriving it can take a while to get to the safari. On our last trip we arrived at the entrance gates bang on 10 am and it took almost 45 minutes to get checked in and drive around to the Safari – and this was on a quietish Saturday in March, not during peak season or school holidays.

4. Make Sure You Get Your Money’s Worth

Okay, this one might be obvious to some but it was something we’d never even thought about until a friend of mine suggested it.

He’d been frequently taking his daughter to Longleat because she was animal mad and confessed on one occasion they never even left the car – just drove around the safari bit over and over again.

While this would mean missing out on everything the main park has to offer a second trip around the safari before leaving is now a must for us.

Especially if a lot of the animals were asleep or hiding due to rain earlier in the day. However, this may not be possible during peak times when everyone is given set times for entering the Safari.

Make sure you check the Safari last entry time before doing this – it’s usually an hour before park closing time.

5. Avoid the Monkeys

While venturing into the monkey enclosure is great fun – be warned – they will damage your car. I know because they chewed up both an ariel and a windscreen wiper of ours that we then had to pay to get fixed.

There are warning signs before you enter and the enclosure is completely avoidable should you wish – just drive right on past!

Longleat isn’t the only fantastic Safari Park in the U.K – Asha from Yeah Lifestyle has a fab review of Knowsley Safari in Prescott  if your visit to to the U.K takes you further north.

Other Posts You Might Enjoy

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10 of The Best Free Days Out In Somerset

How To Save Money At Center Parcs

When Do Center Parcs Reduce Prices?

2 thoughts on “ How To Save Money At Longleat Safari Park (5 Awesome Tips) ”

Thanks for your fascinating site. I have learned here new thinks. I have a some great money-saving tips for making the most of the longer, … pooling resources and hiring a minibus for a trip to Knowsley Safari Park. … and Longleat Safari Park, with regular offers such as double points.

[…] money at that specific attraction such as Savvy in Somerset’s post about saving money at Longleat Safari Park (which happens to be one of my favourite UK […]

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Hi, I’m Fiona and Savvy in Somerset is my award winning Personal Finance blog where I cover all things money saving, side hustles and getting the most out of the cash you have.

From saving on staycations to finding the best times for yellow stickers, I encourage readers to think more positively when it comes to their finances. 

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