Leopards, lemurs and lots more, Twycross Zoo is a brilliant day out for the whole family.

I took the trip to Twycross with my wife Samantha and our eight-year-old daughter Cali on the weekend before half-term - bypassing the troublesome traffic jams - and it is safe to say we had a fantastic time.

Over the past few years we have visited a fair number of zoos, including in Washington DC, but Twycross is chief among them all - seconded by our eight-year-old.

At many zoos, if you visit in the cold or rain, many animals choose to slink into their shelters and out of the sight of eager onlookers like ourselves.

Cali, eight, with the toy snow leopard she bought after a day at Twycross Zoo
Cali, eight, with the toy snow leopard she bought after a day at Twycross Zoo

However, with Twycross, almost all of these animals are still visible via indoor viewing areas.

Despite this being a different experience, for instance not seeing some of the monkeys out and about on their elaborate climbing frames and walkways, it still gives visitors like ourselves a chance to see them up close and personal - sometimes almost too intimately!

There was no, "sorry, sweetie, it looks like the animals are too cold, maybe we can see them next time" which is always a huge relief as a parent, and was a worry on what was quite a brisk February afternoon.

For my family, top of the tree out of all the animals at Twycross were the meerkats - standing to attention and gleefully scurrying around in an open-air enclosure - the penguins, bush dogs and of course, the snow leopards.

Two of the meerkats at Twycross Zoo
Two of the meerkats at Twycross Zoo

A welcome relief from the cold was the butterfly enclosure, a hot and humid covered area full of fluttering delights.

Perhaps the crowning glory of our visit was the delight of sitting and eating lunch from the warmth of the main building while watching the four snow leopards prowl around their enclosure in all their pride and glory.

My daughter Cali is now eager to return to Twycross for her ninth birthday, and I am confident that come rain or shine it will be a fantastic day out for her and her friends.

She said: "My favourite animals at the zoo were a snow leopard, a jaguar, a meerkat and a bush dog.

The snow leopards are one of the highlights at Twycross Zoo
The snow leopards are one of the highlights at Twycross Zoo

"And when we went to go eat lunch at the zoo, we got to sit in front of the snow leopards and they came down and we got to see them.

"My favourite part, I think, was probably the penguins because they would come very close up to you.

"And I wish that I could come back, which I probably would for my birthday party, which I told my dad and my mum.

"And at the gift shop I got a snow leopard kitten, and I got this pencil case that I am using for school."

One of the bush dogs at Twycross Zoo
One of the bush dogs at Twycross Zoo

Halfway around our day-out at Twycross we paused for a pit-stop at The Catch to grab some fish and chips for our daughter - which she thoroughly enjoyed, and was very fairly priced for such a decent sized portion, despite being from the children's menu.

Being able to go within arms-reach of the meerkats and penguins was extremely special.

Even with plenty of people flocking to see these two icons, there was always a spot to stand and get a good view.

Back at the main compound after a brilliant day, it was 'lunchtime' for my wife and I, and it was just as great as we had hoped.

The penguins at Twycross Zoo
The penguins at Twycross Zoo

I had the Cajun and thyme chicken burger and my wife had the pesto penne pasta, we wolfed it all down and it truly topped off the day before the drive home.

We'll definitely be coming back, even just to sit, eat and watch the snow leopards while our youngster runs around the giant soft-play area.