Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary

What it’s like

Daily flight displays and up-close meet-the-birds sessions with owls and hawks, no booking needed, just turn up.

The main event here is the flight display, on every day, with owls and hawks swooping low enough that a two-year-old will duck. There's also a Meet the Birds session if your lot want to get closer than a display allows, and if you fancy really getting stuck in there are Owl & Hawk Experience Days on top of the normal visit.

It's a short window though. Winter hours run 11am to 2pm, summer stretches to 3pm, so this isn't an all-day-out kind of visit, more a couple of hours built around the display times. That suits younger kids fine, since two hours is about the limit before attention spans give out anyway.

Tickets are bought on the door, no booking required, which takes the faff out of planning around naps or a toddler meltdown at breakfast. It's £7 for children over 2, £12 for adults and £9 for O.A.P.s, which stacks up for a family of four but feels fair for the amount of bird contact you get. Group bookings and school visits are catered for too, so it works as well for a nursery trip as it does for a Saturday with the grandparents.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

Age 2 up, the flight displays hold younger kids' attention well

Booking

Walk-ups only, purchase tickets on the door on day of arrival

• Opening hours are short, 11am to 2pm in winter and 11am to 3pm in summer, so check which season you're visiting in before you plan the day.
• No booking system, just pay on arrival, which is handy if your plans change last minute.
• Flight displays run daily, so you shouldn't miss one whatever time you turn up within opening hours.
• Experience Days with owls and hawks are a step up from the standard visit if your kids want more hands-on time.

Plan your visit

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