I visited one of the UK’s best wildlife parks just 1 hour from Birmingham – it was magical

The Trentham Monkey Forest is the largest primate habitat in the UK where 140 endangered Barbary Macaques roam free within the woodland – and it’s absolutely worth a visit.

During a recent trip to the Peak District and Stoke-on-Trent, I stumbled upon a true gem in the heart of the Midlands. The Trentham Monkey Forest, home to 140 endangered Barbary Macaques, is the UK’s largest primate habitat, and as I found out, it’s worth every penny for a visit.

Stepping through the park’s double gates feels like entering another realm. Dense foliage, meandering paths and a growing sense of anticipation taking over.

I was eager to spot monkeys, and I wanted to see them immediately. Despite the park being bustling with visitors, the pathways were spacious enough to manoeuvre past clusters of children and families – particularly if you’re accustomed to navigating London during peak hours, as I am.

After a few minutes of strolling and several false alarms (I wasn’t wearing my glasses and kept mistaking ducks for monkeys), we came across a clearing amidst the trees.

There, separated from us by merely a low log fence, were at least seven Barbary macaques cradling their tiny offspring, reports the Express.

The proximity to the animals was unexpected – it was genuinely enchanting. With approximately 140 monkeys in the forest, they are never far from sight.

Upon entering the forest, you’re shown a brief video advising you to maintain a distance of three metres from the animals, but evidently, the monkeys hadn’t been shown the same clip.

Whilst my boyfriend and I were observing one of the monkeys casually grooming itself on a log, another sauntered past us on the path, so close we could have reached out and touched it.

They meander along the paths, groom each other in the grass and clamber high above you in the towering trees. As we strolled, a gentle rain began – but that didn’t deter us or the monkeys in the slightest.

This year, the monkey forest revealed that an impressive eleven new babies have been born in the forest – a testament to the park’s rehabilitation efforts.

Scattered throughout the park are guides who are always willing to stop for a chat and inform you about the monkeys and their habits, and there are also hourly feeding talks.

Also dotted around the paths are various informative signs about the monkeys, their habits and how their natural habitats are being destroyed, making these animals extremely endangered.

However, within the park, the monkeys live in peace, and it’s evident they are truly content in the 60-acre wood they call home.

For just £13.50 for an adult ticket, the park offered fantastic value.

We only spent about an hour and a half there as we had to hit the road back to London, but outside of the monkey habitat there is a cafe, informative exhibits, picnic spaces and a children’s playground – if we had more time I would have loved to wander and explore further. I suppose this means I’ll just have to return!