Family break at Port Lympne Pinewood camping pods

“How much of a giraffe could a crocodile possibly eat?” asks my son Oscar, insisting that this really is the reason he can’t sleep two days after our stay among the animals at Port Lympne Reserve.

Four days previously my husband and I had each packed up a small bag alongside the kitchen sink for our two young children and checked into the wild animal park’s new Pinewood Camping Pods.

Our last camping attempt at a music festival in 2007 BC - before children - did not end well when our tent was collapsed by some unwanted merry visitors at 3am while friends managed to set theirs alight attempting to cook on a small stove out of the rain.

But with the promise of a hardier shelter, proper beds, a heater and showers that hadn’t been frequented by thousands of festival goers we were quite excited at the prospect of a family adventure in the great outdoors.

Port Lympne describes the cosy wooden pods as ‘putting the fun back into camping’ and I think this is spot-on.

Our excitable children who gave the whole experience the most enormous thumbs up would definitely agree even if their father required some encouragement to begin with.

The two single beds and double futon are extremely comfortable, the quilts heavy and warm, while built-in cupboards, lights, electricity, a heater and even a wifi code all go a good way into making it a home from home.

And if it hadn’t have been the middle of March and a little chilly we could have made more use of the private deck, seating and barbecue while teasing our big cat neighbours with the scent of a badly grilled burger.

Particularly if we could have persuaded the children into putting their heads down early on the other side of the double glazed door and giving both us and our furry new friends some peace and a rest from little Olivia’s persistent request to see the cheetahs, a stone’s throw from our pod, ‘run, run, run’.

But as it was, the Pinewood Cafe a short stroll away made for a more than adequate substitute where a roaring fire, three-course meal and even Disney’s The Lion King on a small screen in the corner provided us all with an ideal way to spend our first evening.

Alternatively Pinewood campers are able to use the other restaurants and dining options within the reserve.

With only the need to wheel out the predictable ‘we’ll feed you to the tigers if you don’t soon go to sleep’ line once, our night in the pods went exceptionally well. In the morning, the showers were clean with hot water in good supply. A continental breakfast, together with bacon rolls, is served back in the Pinewood Cafe.

Although it was a meal we almost missed as the novelty of running through an empty zoo in pyjamas and wellies was considered far too much fun for our youngest campers, a choice which paid off when very early in the morning a sleepy African Hunting Dog and her pups emerged from their slumber to investigate our brood on the other side of the fence.

Having explored the grounds on the day we arrived, we spent our second on safari and meeting some of the park’s keepers to learn more about the animals in their care.

And judging by the questions from Oscar, who has an appetite for information or ‘input’ akin to Short Circuit’s Jonny 5, the whole experience has proved to be an invaluable lesson in nature and the world around him.

On more than one occasion since the end of our amazing adventure he has left us stumped with a well thought out question, which has left us scratching our heads and turning to Google.

So, about that crocodile...