National Centre for Birds of Prey (NCBP) — Attraction in Helmsley

We really enjoyed seeing all of the birds, excellent information alongside the aviaries. We particularly enjoyed the humorous signs along the way too. When we reached the birds which were sitting in the sunshine on their perches, I admit, we did discuss amongst ourselves if the birds were happy however, the next sign along promptly answered that question, explaining the birds are flown every day and simply put, "If they are unhappy, they could simply fly away" - which was a very good point. All the birds looked very healthy.

We enjoyed leisurely strolling around and had a quick bite at the café. My wife said the soup was lovely. I wasn't that hungry but there was a good selection of sandwiches, cakes, ice creams, crisps and fruit available all reasonably priced and everything looked nice and clean.

We watched the 2nd flying demonstration of the day at 2 pm it was FANTASTIC!! I was literally blown away. One of the falcons decided to go for a longer-than-expected and faraway flight which I didn't mind at all as it was quite entertaining thinking she was off having a blast and enjoying her fly time. Charlie the falconer explained he could see her on his phone via a tracker which I also found utterly fascinating. He was fantastic at keeping the crowd entertained and engaged despite the cheeky falcon not being on display. When she was on her return journey she was but a tiny black spec in the sky, Charlie did some falconry magic and told everyone to keep an eye on her as she shot down like a missile from the sky. The sound she made as she bombed through the crowd's faces was just unbelievable. Not a moment I will forget in my lifetime. I was pleased that she had really enjoyed her fly time and this totally reinforced the fact the birds are very happy to come back.

I was also so excited that the final bird of this demo was the gigantic sea eagle and what an incredible sight that was. Seeing this enormous beauty flying was just something out of this world. Charlie stayed back with her afterwards and answered lots of questions and engaged with the crowd. He clearly absolutely adores these birds and also has a great sense of humour.

The wind and rain cut short the demo for some but I was enthralled by it, so much so that I persuaded my wife to stay for the last demonstration of the day at 4:15. Luckily the wristbands allow you access NCBP all day so we popped into the village to have a mooch about and then returned.

The last demo did not disappoint there were only a few other people to see the show and we were treated to more amazing birds just having fun and enjoying their fly time. Despite the fact there were probably only 8 people watching this did not deter either of the handlers from giving a spectacular demonstration filled with some fantastic facts and none of the birds were rushed through their fly time. It was Charlie again and the other falconer (sorry couldn't remember his name) both fantastic and patient with the birds allowing them to enjoy their time in the sky. The grand finale of the day was worth the wait! We were treated to a fantastic display of a whole family of kites, I think there were 6-7 of them but they were bombing and diving all over the place so it was really hard to tell. It was incredible to watch them catching their food in the air, whizzing by our heads and just being cheeky and having fun.

Thank you NCBP for all you do, we really enjoyed our visit and it's clear to see that all the staff really care about what they do and most importantly that the birds are happy...

I visited the NCBP on the same day as I am writing this review 19/02/25. Myself and my wife visited while in Yorkshire on a short break and wanted something to do for a few hours and I am so glad that we chose to visit this wonderful place. Upon entering we had a warm welcome from the lady that was on the front desk. She explained when the displays were (1130 & 1400) and facilities (toilets/ shop/ Cafe) but everything is clearly signposted and easy to navigate. We were given wrist bands which enables you to leave site and return back the same day if that’s what you wish to do. The site is located within Duncombe Park so you could go for a wander then return. We had a quick browse of the shop and then took the short walk to the entrance and the aviaries. (I probably should say that my wife is disabled, she has Cystic Fibrosis and was on Oxygen the day we visited and she managed to navigate fine- there are some inclines and some paths are loose stone or worn grass paths but I think a wheel chair user would be fine also). We arrived at about 1030 [and departed at 1355]- we wanted to stay for the second bird flight, especially as they show different birds in each one, but we were cold and it had started to lightly rain…but in those few hours we had a wonderful time. The birds were easy to view, were obviously well looked after, the staff were great and the cafe was ace [more on that after]. So, they have multiple aviaries and the birds range from Owls, Hawks and Falcons to Eagles, Vultures and even Condors! They are all fabulous to look at and were very active. The show at 1130 was amazing we saw 4 separate birds fly and the small burrowing owl was brought into the audience and was landing next to people. All of the staff were very confident and expertly handled and spoke about the birds at a level all could understand. After we watched the show we looked at the rest of the birds and then went back to the cafe (we had gone before the show for a new!).

The Cafe or Owl House Cafe is a little gem! Run by a husband and wife team it was inviting, reasonably priced and the food was lovely (the Victoria Sponge was on par with my Mums! - High praise indeed believe me!). In our first short visit we both had coffee (filter) and it was tasty and warmed us up. We returned for lunch and it was about half full. My wife had a tuna toasty, I had soup and a sandwich deal, and we both had tea, and some of that delicious Victoria sponge. Altogether it came to just under £30 (£35 if you include the previous stop for coffee). Which in this day and age is a good deal, especially when the food is home made and this tasty. Thanks to the Owl House Cafe for making our bellies as happy as the Birds of Prey and the falconers did. All in all a great visit, highly recommend and we will visit again should we be in the area again - hopefully with some...

Well, what a place. Beautiful setting in North Yorkshire, worth a walk around purely on its own. But that would mean you’re missing out on one of the most amazing parts … the birds of prey! The team put on at least three flying demonstrations a day (around 11 ish, 2 ish and 4 ish - but double check before you go)

Having eagles, black kites, vultures and owls fly over your head, sometimes with a wingtip actually touching you as it speeds past, is mystical.

The knowledge of the staff is obviously very good as they live and breathe the lives of these magnificent birds, giving amazing flying demonstrations, sometimes with new birds (so it doesn’t always go exactly to plan!) which means you get a very authentic and natural show, not some hyper polished and repetitive routine.

Who knew a vulture could ingest and survive anthrax!!!

And a particular owl that had asymmetrical ears…. And could pinpoint prey underneath snow just by hearing alone!

As mentioned the setting is idyllic, and the facilities (toilets) were squeaky clean and smelled freshly bleached, not like many places nowadays where they just can’t be bothered with daily sorting of toilets.

The Owl House Cafe was incredible, plenty of tables, clean and tidy with very friendly and attentive staff. The food was delicious, tea perfect (Yorkshire tea of course!) and the cakes, well…. Fresh and moist and heavenly.

It’s not often you find somewhere that does everything to such a high standard so it’s well with reviewing when a team achieves such high standards and provides a fantastic day out for visitors.

Can’t wait to go back.

Many...