We first went to the British Bird of Prey Centre in in 2020 when B was five and last went just after they’d moved to their new venue in November 2025. It’s an inspiring place and the passion they have for their birds shines through. It’s also a great way to find out more about British birds and begin to interact with them.

Flying shows

The core of the centre’s activity is their flying shows, which happen 2-3 times a day. Here they fly different birds (usually moving from smaller to larger) and talk about them as they do so. You get to sit or stand where the birds are flying. B loves it when they fly low over her head. The birds fly free and sometimes wander off for a bit. They each have their own personalities and the keepers know them so well. It’s like watching a family.

Most of the birds are flown daily so if you’re there for all three talks you get to see most of them. They’re all interesting in different ways. I have a soft spot for the white tailed sea eagles. B’s favourite is the gyrfalcon, Flash. The new viewing area is high up with an amazing view across the countryside. You can’t help feeling that the birds appreciate it even more than the audience does.

Group flying experiences

Possibly the best thing about the British Bird of Prey Centre is that you can pay a small amount on the day (currently £10) to fly either an owl or a kite as part of a group. We did this first when B was just 5. She was small but animal mad and wanted to fly a kite. There was only one other person doing it. They headed out but hit a problem. The red kite had trouble recognising that B was there. It wasn’t used to such miniscule handlers. After several failed swoops they brought the black kite, Bandit, out. Her eyesight was much better. It is one of B’s favourite ever days I think. Their kindness fostered in her a real love for the birds and we go back to check on them and get re-acquainted at regular intervals.

A few years later they were rearing baby kestrels and a baby tawny owl. They were keen to get them used to people and had an experience where you could sit with them. We listened to tales of how you train birds of prey at the same time and B got attached to the tawny owl baby. Three months later we went back and he was a fully grown chap called Fforest who calls constantly. We always feel he recognises us when we go back, (we do understand it’s unlikely).

Special experiences

The Centre also does individual experiences where you can meet and fly a bird of your choice and they have an adopt a bird scheme.

Practicalities

The Centre is situated just outside of Carmarthen. It’s a great stop off if you’re driving west along the M4. We tend to visit on our way to or from camping holidays. When we last visited in November 2025 they were still working on some of the buildings but, as of spring 2026, these are all now fully open and there is a shop, a café and a flying arena as well as the outside spaces. The birds are kept in enclosures scattered around the site and you can walk around them.

As of summer 2026 tickets are £14 for adults and £8.50 for children. Full details can be found on their website.

You can find more places to explore in South Wales and beyond here. Check out our Recent Blogs page for ideas of how to play outside in the natural world at different times of the year. If you’d like regular weekly play tips, sign up for our newsletter. We don’t spam, we just send 7 different things to play in the coming week over on Fridays.