OK, full disclosure, we didn’t see a single wild bison. We did see a lot of their poo.
Let me back up. A small rewilding project in the middle of Kent, called Wilder Blean, has brought European bison back to the English countryside for the first time in nearly 6,000 years. That sounded like the perfect target for a half-term escape from London.
Now, regular readers will remember we promised you a 36-hour, £200 jail-break. We downsized. A storm and two small boys will do that.
The new rules: one day, under £50.
Katrien had to work, so it was just me and the boys. We piled into the car after a hearty breakfast and set off down the M2. Within 35 minutes, Finn decided he was starving. Nothing a quick pit-stop at a roadside Starbucks couldn’t fix.
(£43.50 left to spend)
Bison, Bulldozers & A Very Short Lecture
Our destination? West Blean and Thornden Woods near Canterbury.
This ground-breaking conservation project is a joint initiative between the Kent Wildlife Trust and the Wildwood Trust. The idea is to reintroduce wild bison to the British countryside and use them as ecosystem engineers.
Thanks to their massive size and some unique behaviours (a touch of dust bathing and a tendency to knock down the odd tree), bison clear dense scrub and open up the canopy, letting light reach the forest floor. New native plants grow, creating habitats for insects, birds and reptiles. Pretty cool stuff.
My ecological monologue was met with a short, sharp “boring” from the boys. They just wanted to see these big, smelly ancient beasts up close.
An App With No Signal
We pulled into the car park and immediately failed our first test. Parking was £2 a day. You could only pay on the app. But there was a sign apologising for the lack of reception. There was also a sign threatening a £100 penalty if you didn’t pay.
Sure. Makes total sense.
We eventually figured it out (by walking a few hundred metres up the road), booted up and set off into the forest.
(£41.50 left to spend)
Oceanic Puddles & A Mountain Of Poo
There were a fair few trails to choose from, including the full-on Wilder Blean Walkabout Trail, which stretches over 10km. We chose a simpler 5km out-and-back route, purposefully passing the bison viewing points. Fingers crossed.
Planning your bison expedition
The boys were already loving the adventure. Storm Austen had just subsided and the puddles were oceanic. So far so good.
Puddles & sticks to keep the boys going
Now, the bison are wild, but for very sensible reasons they roam in nearly 500 acres of woodland, fenced off by a fierce-looking electric fence. The path cut straight through the middle of two fenced-off sections. It quickly dawned on me that unless the herd was literally chewing the fence, we were unlikely to see them.
Imagine seeing one of these in the Canterbury woods!?
As minutes turned to hours, the boys began to lose patience. A few stops at the Bison Bridge viewpoints offered a little more hope.
Then Jax shouted with excitement. Surely not?
“BISON POO!” he yelled.
Sure enough, there was a huge pile of poo (not a million miles off the sick triceratops scene from Jurassic Park). At least they were excited. For about a minute.
On the lookout at the Bison Bridge
Plan B: Captive Bison & Jacket Potatoes
As we made our way back to the car, I did what any dad would do after (let’s face it) a failed expedition. I googled some organised fun nearby to save the day.
Wildwood was only a few miles down the road. It’s the zoological partner behind the bison project, and it’s full of captive bison (and other cool wildlife). Kids go free during half term, so we could even stay within budget!
(£16.36 for an adult ticket. £25.14 left to spend)
Fun and games at Wildwood
Wildwood is a very natural-feeling wildlife park. In a couple of hours we saw some really diverse wildlife, from arctic foxes to wild boar. There’s even a rope bridge for kids, dangling precariously over the brown bear enclosure (sadly the bears didn’t come out to play that day).
Looking down on the Brown Bears below
And then we stumbled across the bison. Watching them munch hay in what’s basically a glorified stable doesn’t get the heart going quite as much as seeing one in the wild would. But the boys were still chuffed, and they really are awesome beasts.
Arctic Fox on the prowl
The boys loved the Wild Boar
Finally a (not so wild) Bison
After a late lunch (jacket potatoes, beans and cheese)…
(£4.25 left to spend)
…and some time in the park’s epic playground, it was time to pack up and head home.
A solid day out all in all, even if it didn’t quite reach the heights of some of this year’s adventures.
Was It Worth It?
Wildwood? 100%. Wild bison spotting? Go with very low expectations.
The bison project is genuinely fascinating, but the chances of actually seeing them are slim. There is a Bison Tracking experience with a conservationist for adults (£65), but nothing aimed at kids yet.
Wildwood is one of the better wildlife parks we’ve been to in the UK. That’s saying something, as I’m not usually a fan of these places. It’s understated and quiet (even in the school holidays), and the wildlife viewing is really great.
Excluding the cost of charging the electric car, an adventurous day out 90 minutes from London, all for under £50, ain’t too bad.
As always, get in touch if you have any questions.
What We’re Loving (At The Moment)
Have you checked out Seek by iNaturalist
When the bison don’t show, you need a back-up plan. Seek is a free app from the team behind iNaturalist. Point your phone camera at a plant, bug, bird or mushroom and it tells you what it is, right there on the screen.
The clever bit for kids is that every new species earns them badges, and there are monthly challenges. That turns any walk, even one round the local park, into a bit of a scavenger hunt. There’s no sign-up, no ads, and it’s designed with kids in mind.
Photo Of The Fortnight
I’m planning my own photography expedition early next year, focused on macro snake photography. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to spend some time with a dude called Stretch, who runs the Living Desert Snake Park in Swakopmund, Namibia.
The park is a snake rescue centre. Stretch kindly took one of his rescued black mambas out (one of the world’s most dangerous snakes) for me to photograph. What followed was 45 minutes of watching him gently handle the mamba, while I snapped away in awe.
My hands, for the record, were less steady. This is one of the few shots that wasn’t blurry.
What’s Next?
I’m beginning to plan for next year and I’m excited to have a couple of new sponsors come on board with some exciting opportunities for discounts and awesome giveaways for readers!
I’ll share more next time.