 | TAXIMAN's classic 1980s "SAM" guide
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An early 1980s large fold out Windsor Safari Park guide, found by Taximan - contains classic images and info "down the years," of that great late place.
Elephants Camels and Llamas, they're all here
A very large guide book turned up by Taximan in good condition contains many super pictures from the early days of Windsor Safari Park. Check out the photo of a TV cameraman in with a baby elephant and the 2 parents lumbering out of the elephant pool. This pool was just at the start of the vehicle safari route (on the right as you drove in) - what a great route that was.
Also, how about the hairy warning to all visitors about not getting out of your car!! Despite this warning, rangers had to "deal" with some visitors who - plainly - could see no danger and thought all animals were cuddly!
This little elephant is going out live on ITV!!
The cameraman is getting a close up of this little lad
I always wondered why the elephants couldn't go in with the zebras and giraffes, but I guess there was a reason. If you visit any safari park, the elephants are always on their own. Port Lympne (Kent) has a great Elephant area, in fact it has two areas for them - including a pool as good as the one that was at Windsor Safari Park. The purple line on the map appears to show the safari route but I'm pretty sure that the white lines "connecting" allowed visitors to drive in at 'alternate' points.
A green map with a purple squiggly is the route
Camels are very popular in Egypt this time of year
There was a crazy huge multi slide for the kids, they loved it and at the bottom of that there was a circuit with electric trikes. These kids' "motorbikes" were powered by car batteries and visitors could put in a 20p coin for 5 minutes worth of "racing" .... with half a dozen "motorbikes" going around the circuit, bumps, scrapes and tumbles were always possible but 'near misses' more often the case, great great days indeed.
HILLTOP was a fabbo place in those days
The parrot show was always a laugh
The parrot show was a really famous component of HILLTOP. Quite often the parrot show would be packed to the gills and the parrots would be working overtime to make sure they did all their tricks to top standard. My favourite was always the "trick cyclist stunt" - which was yours?
Hilltop Parrot Show and magnificent birds of prey!
Plenty of things to see on a walkabout on Hilltop
Does anybody have a video film of the Parrot Show please? If we could convert a 1 minute clip to mpeg, this would be such a marvellous download to offer visitors to the site. Talking about parrots, I do seem to remember seeing quite a few of my relatives - with parrots flapping about in their LOUNGE when I was a lad - but years on, people just do not seem to be interested in giving a parrot a good home now, sheesh what is the matter with the great parrot loving public?
Who remembers this awesome circular aviary?
The round aviary was well known in the early days of the park and I do believe that it survived all the way through to the Butterflies and Alligators era too!
Who remembers the TROPICAL HOUSE? It had butterflies galore, terrific tropical fauna and trees and hacking your way through the jungle paths and humidity you came to a quaint bridge, moving over it: there - 2 mighty alligators ready to make your day!! Well, the round aviary was just around the corner from there I'm sure!!
From the top of the park you looked down on the boating lake and across to St. Leonard's House (Licensed Bar!!)
These views show the gigantic areas of Windsor Safari Park
Yes this was the Windsor Safari Park that we knew and loved!
Just check out these great views! The Rhinos have plenty of room to charge about there don't they!! But what are those buildings with spirally triangular sloping rooves? Anybody remember?
And there was the famous "kiss a dolphin trainer day" at Seaworld! That is some leap of faith isn't it? Just a few seats left, I think I'll pop along and enjoy the show, SEE YA LATER!! (yeah... I wish)
And then the boating lake was a great half hour's jaunt with the kids, St Leonard's mansion in the background of course.
