OUR family's first attempt at visiting Twycross Zoo during the summer was rained off, so we were very pleased when we eventually got a bright and sunny day later in August.

The zoo is easy to get to and is signposted from the A42, only taking 40 minutes to get to from Nottingham.

There seemed to be hordes of visitors arriving at the same time as us, but there was plenty of car-parking, which was efficiently managed.

The price of a family ticket was £33 for four or £39 for 2 adults and 3 children. Not too bad.

Once through the entrance we came to the new Pet Zoo, where amongst the rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas, were the two new star attractions: Jack and William the miniature donkeys, definitely one of the girls' favourites.

Phoebe, Isabel and I did try to convince Tony that there was room for one in our garden and it would mean no more lawn mowing, but the Daddy was not for turning.

Twycross is famous for its huge collection of ape species and it was great fun watching the chimps skating around their enclosures on flattened plastic bottles and playing up to their audience.

The meerkats also made great entertainment, not least because of all the kids who were reciting "compare the meerkat dot com" in pseudo Russian accents.

Phoebe had a go in a Zorb ball – a huge inflatable hamster ball – in which you roll (or have to be rolled if your legs are too short) around a grass field. It looked fantastic fun and if I'd not been wearing a skirt I would have been tempted to have a go myself.

Phoebe told me her favourite animals were the meerkats because there was no glass round them so you could see them really well. She thought the worst thing was all the wasps especially round the bins, but I suppose you can't really blame the zoo for that.

Isabel said the flamingos were her favourite bit, as they were really pretty. Although some of the cages were empty and she thought that was a bit disappointing.

It's easy to see why Twycross remains popular. It's good value, there is plenty of variety of animals and activities, loads of catering and picnic facilities and it manages to combine education and conservation with a good family fun day out.

Twycross Zoo, Burton Road, Atherstone, Warwickshire CV9 3PX: 01827 880250/ www.twycrosszoo.com.