After finding out Wildwood was home to Kent’s tallest drop slide as well as a treetop rope walk over the bear enclosure, it was on our list of must-sees.

The attraction near Canterbury describes itself as a British wildlife park and offers something a bit different to a traditional zoo.

It was easy to find, although the entrance was slightly confusing as you have to drive through a small business park.

It was half term and the car park was packed, but we managed to find a space and headed towards the ticket office.

The park is spread over 40 acres - this compares to 90 acres Howletts and a whopping 600 at Port Lymne, so everything was quite compact but there was loads to see. Having it all close together was a plus point as it was easier for little legs and you could see something at every turn.

Although I would say they need a few more maps around the park with a ‘you are here’ pointer, as we got lost a couple of times when trying to retrace our steps to see certain animals again.

Wildwood is home to more than 200 species. The park might not have big cats, elephants or giraffes but there was still plenty to see.

All the enclosures and surroundings were lovely - no concrete pens - so you felt almost as if you were seeing the animals in the wild.

We saw reindeer, wallabies, wildcats, bison, ponies and a huge elk. There were some very noisy arctic foxes that you could see from a wooden walk-through that went across the top of the enclosure - the kids liked this so much we did it twice.

There’s also a rat barn, a reptile house and a bee zone to explore.

One of the highlights was getting a bird’s eye view of the bears. You can walk across a rope bridge that goes over the top of their enclosure which was brilliant.

Another highlight was seeing the wolves being fed. Although it wasn’t an official Q&A session (the park had these for the owls, bison and rats on the day we went), the keeper was quite happy to chat to people about the wolves and their diet.

After seeing the wolves being fed we decided it was time for our own lunch.

There were lots of picnic benches dotted around the site so if you had brought your own food you could sit right among the animals.

We headed to the cafe which is located next to the playground. It served hot and cold food including jacket potatoes, chips and sausage rolls. There was seating inside and out, and we found a bench just outside easily.

Next stop was the playground, which the children loved.

There were slides of different sizes, climbing frames, two zip wires and, of course, the drop slide. It features a 26ft vertical drop so it is not for the faint-hearted. Even my dare-devil six-year-old decided not to give it a go. But Max, who is 10, loved it.

Getting the children away from the playground was a struggle but with the promise of ice-cream and more animals, we managed it.

There was still plenty to see. Despite it being half-term, the park hadn’t felt crowded all day - it was easy to see inside the enclosures and there were no rows of people three-deep at a fence trying to get a good view.

By the middle of the afternoon, the park seemed to quieten down even more - it almost felt like we had it to ourselves so it was a shame we couldn’t stay longer (but Max’s cricket fixture meant we had to leave).

We could definitely have spent more time enjoying the park and the kids wanted to do the bear bridge again. We would love to go back for another visit.

Food and drink: The cafe had plenty to choose from and was reasonably priced. I liked the fact there was plenty of seating around the park ****

Toilets: There are toilets by the main entrance and near the wolves so you might have a short walk to find one when you (or a small person) needs to go ***

Parking: There was plenty of free parking ****

Cost: An adult ticket is £18 and a child ticket is £14. A family ticket for two adults and two children is £53. You can also get a membership which offers unlimited visits. This costs £9.50 a month for a family of two adults and up to six children or £114 a year ****

Kids’ verdict: Millie said the park was really good and she loved the playground. She added: “The best bit was going across the bear bridge, I wanted to do it again.” Max loved the playground too and said the best bit was the drop slide. He also said seeing the wolves being fed was “really cool”. ****

Location: Wildwood is located off Canterbury Road, Herne. Use the postcode CT6 7LQ.

Where should we head next? Let us know what family days out you think are the best in Kent. Email jhorn@thekmgroup.co.uk