On a recent trip to the Peak District and Stoke-on-Trent I discovered a true jewel in the crown of the Midlands. The Trentham Monkey Forest is the largest primate habitat in the UK where 140 endangered Barbary Macaques roam free within the woodland, and as I discovered it is absolutely worth every penny to visit.
Walking through the double gates of the park is like stepping into another world. There’s dense tree cover, winding paths and, for me, a building anticipation. I wanted to see monkeys and I wanted to see them right this very second. The park was busy, but the paths were wide enough to weave past the groups of children and families – especially if you’re used to navigating London at rush hour like I am.
After the first few minutes of walking, and multiple false alarms (I wasn’t wearing my glasses and kept mistaking ducks for monkeys), we entered a clearing in the trees.
There, separated from the people by just a low log fence were at least seven Barbary macaques with their teeny tiny babies.
I wasn’t expecting just how close you can get to the animals – it was truly magical. With around 140 monkeys living in the forest, you’re never far away from them.
Upon entering the forest you watch a short video that warns you not to get within three meters of the animals but clearly no one had shown the monkeys in this video.
While my boyfriend and I were watching one of the monkeys lazily grooming itself on a log, another wandered past us on the path, so close we could have touched it.
Because it came up behind us, we didn’t have time to move and so instead got a proper close up view.
They wander the paths, groom each other in the grass and clamber high above you in the towering trees. As we walked, a gentle rain started – but that didn’t faze us or the monkeys one bit.
This year, the monkey forest announced that a whopping eleven new babies have been born in the forest – a testament to the rehabilitation efforts of the park.
Dotted around the park are guides who are more than happy to stop for a chat and tell you about the monkeys and their habits and there are also hourly feeding talks.
Also scattered around the paths are various informative signs about the monkeys, their habits and how their natural habitats are being decimated, making these animals extremely endangered.
However, in the park, the monkeys live in peace, and you can tell they are truly happy in the 60-acre wood they call home.
For just £13.50 for an adult ticket, the park was amazing value.
We only spent about an hour and a half there as we had to get on the road back to London, but outside of the monkey habitat there is a cafe, informative exhibits, picnic spaces and kids playground – if we had more time I would have loved a wander to explore further. I guess this means I’ll just have to go back!.