I have now heard back from Monkey World regarding a an organised* ride there from the BUC this year. They are happy to accommodate us, but we will only get a discounted entrance fee if there is a minimum of 15 people going. I realise that not everyone going to BUC will read this, but if I can have a quick show of hands if you intend to come then it’ll give me a gauge to the feasibility of it.
So, what do you need to know to help you make up your mind? Well, the intention is to leave mid-morning on Saturday. (Unfortunately this will probably clash with hockey, so you may need to prioritise things here.) The ride itself is 8.5 miles each way, and is on main-ish country roads, so you’ll need to be traffic-savy . It is not a race though, and I don’t mind going at the slowest riders pace - however, for that kind of distance, I would suggest a 24" as a minimum size. Whilst I am happy to stay there all day, I would expect that about 2 - 3 hours is enough for those of you that aren’t ape-preciative of fine looking monkeys, so I expect to be leaving there about mid-afternoon, although the return journey will be even less organised so you can leave whenever you want.
What is Monkey World like? Well, it’s the primate equivalent of The Ritz, where monkeys that have been rescued from abuse, torment, labs, the circus and closing zoos can live out their days in luxury. There’s plenty to do for their visitors too, so you don’t just have to look at happy chimps legging it around. Standard prices are £10.50 adults, £8.75 student and £7.25 children, but as long as there are 15 or more of us booking in together, they’ll drop to £9.25, £7.75 and £6.25 respectively.
I said I would give them a call with rough numbers on Friday morning, and confirm final figures early on Saturday. So, if you’re up for it, please let me know ASAP.
STM
organised? Well, in the loosest possible sense of the world!
This trip might also appeal to non-riders who want an outing, hopefully those who can’t ride it can meet you there by car. If I send out another email I will ask people to let me know if they want to go, can also ask when people arriv on Friday so that you ahve a better estimate of numbers when calling later on friday to confirm.
Yeah, I should really have said that the ride is for riders, but the Monkey World visit is for anyone. So if anyone wants to drive and meet us there then that’d be cool.
And, as Mike says, hi-viz jackets are a good idea.
And as Blue says, Oook!
And, Grape, yes, Semach is my adopted monkey. It’s not just a coincidence we have the same name! I’ve been a monkeys uncle for just over 10 years now:D
Sounds cool, I just emailed everyone again and mentioned the monkey world trip, so will soon be inundated with people letting us know they want to go I’ll also have a sign up list at registration.
I’ll also have a sign up list at registration.