The Chestnut Centre

This is another super place to see Otters, and is the sister site to the New Forest Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park. In the former grounds of a big house in Derbyshire, the site slopes steeply down to a beck, along which are the otter and owl enclosures.

The starring attraction is a South American Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) called Anya. She is the only ones in the UK! She is an absolutely marvellous animal - about six feet long, with soft velvety light brown fur, round head with large eyes, lots of whiskers and huge paws like clown boots! She has a big pond to swim in and a heated house, which in very bad weather she has to be locked inside because her fur lacks the guard hairs that insulate other otters from the cold, but she still goes out and plays in the snow. She is a friendly otter, interested in her visitors, and responding to calls from other otters nearby.

There are other otters at the Centre as well. I met a naughty European Otter called Morse who likes to nip the fingers of the staff feeding him, and two young female Canadian Otters, Nova and Scotia, whose mate is a large, fine chap called Canuck. He is the son of Giggsy and Digger from the New Forest site.

There are is a deer park, and Owls, and Buzzards; school parties go round following the tale of Morse the Otter as he meets all the animals in his quest to find another animal just like him.

There is a tea room serving soup, sandwiches and drinks, and a good shop. There is a gravel car park. The site is quite steep, and there are steps going up and down to get to the various pens; it is not possible to take a buggy round the site, and it is not really suitable for people who are unsteady on their feet. Even if you go up and down the least steep way, it is still quite a climb up from the animal pens to the shop, cafe and carpark. The way to the Centre is to go north along the A6 from Buxton to Chapel-en-le-Frith, go into town, and take the junction on the right that heads south-east almost back the way you came; we missed it the first time. If you have the right road, you will pass under the A6, and then continue till you get to Slack Hall Farm. The entrance to the Chestnut Centre is right by the farm, and is signposted.

I last visited the Chestnut Centre in June 2003.