It was a gorgeous sunny day, our options were working in the garden or a day trip somewhere interesting … there was no contest. 
I suggested the Child-Beale Trust. I hadn’t been there in years and Phil had never been. The Thames valley and surrounding area is particularly picturesque, so it seemed like a good idea.
Beale Park was formed by Gilbert Beale in 1956 who decided to donate this beautiful 350-acre park to ‘the people’ by converting it from private farmland into a non-profit making, charitable trust. More information about the history of the park is available on the Beale Park website.
After getting lost, we realised that it was now called Beale Park, so a quick turn round later and we arrived. We picked a busy weekend as there was the annual Thames Boat Show going on. However we got in pretty quickly, even with a large queue and the staff were pleasant and helpful.
Once inside, my priority was for an ice cream as it was a hot day. However, there were no kiosks or places for food that I could see. A little dismayed we walked around.
The park is very well laid out, unusual statues greet you at random moments and it was a pleasant walk around on a summers day.
Of particular interest was the pavilion/model boat collection.
Saying that Beale family were model enthusiasts, is a massive understatement. The models were extremely detailed and painstakingly created. Sizes ranged from a few inches to several feet and included models of a wide range of both ships and aircraft.
I remembered my last visit as a child when I had my picture taken standing by a huge stone frog. I couldn’t find it at first then realised, in the intervening years, that it had become obscured with mature trees … feeling my age now! 
The Italian fountain was a good photo stop, but we were disappointed that it was not switched on. However, further down the path was an elephant fountain standing in a rock pool, which was quite spectacular.
We eventually ended up by the paddling pools, and sand pits when low and behold I found the restaurant. Hoorah!
Although two Cornettos set us back a fair sum, we were then distracted by a sign which advertised river cruises. Run by Thames River Cruise, the half hour trip on the “Lady Caroline” takes you down to the Swan Inn at Pangbourne and back again. Apart from Phil doing battle with a giant hornet which flew into the covered boat, and a somewhat boggy approach to the boat across a strip of grass. We had a pretty relaxing cruise, taking photos and annoying the crew with our questions. However, they were friendly and good-natured about it.
Back at the park, we wandered off to view some animal enclosures. The first was the Australasian enclosure, full of exotic palms and a large flock of Zebra Finches, which were quite tame and didn’t seem to mind the visitors milling around. I got the idea in my head that if I just held out my arm that one might land on it, but after standing there with my arm held out at an awkward angle and feeling pretty daft I gave up. Phil, sniggering, had moved on taking more photos. 
Next was the South American enclosure with small primates, including Squirrel monkeys and Tamarinds. They were mostly hanging around inside their dens, but as these had glass fronts so you could view them pretty easily.
I was quite keen to see the Ring-tailed Lemurs after watching the film “Fierce Creatures”. The Lemurs seemed to be happy to sleep in the sun and the chance of a photo opportunity faded. Then, happily they started wandering around. There is a glass fronted viewing booth which enables you to take photos with no bars in the way, so trying to avoid the reflection glare I snapped away.
The last stop was to see the Prairie dogs and Meercats, reminding us of the Dilbert “cube farm” cartoon as they stood on their hind legs to scrutinize the area for predators.
Our weary feet and rumbling stomachs signaled a retreat to the Swan Inn at Pangbourne, where we had a leisurely late lunch. The food was superb and the pub boasts a patio bordering the river. A great place to chill and rest after all that walking.
We’ve had more exiting trips, but Beale Park on a sunny day, plus the Swan for afterwards was a very pleasant and interesting way to spend a day out.
Photos Available – click here
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