This was the last pause on our way home from holidaying in D&G. It proved to be a great finale. I gave up counting the number of birds in the sky once feeding had commenced. A spectacle reminiscent of Hitchcocks 'The Birds' springs to mind. Once feeding starts then activity is fast and furious. Despite the number of birds present, photography is not as easy as you might think. The best technique is to select a subject not too far away and track it, hoping it will come closer. It's not perfect of course, when a Kite stoops or turns over itself and chooses a different flight path, it's easy to lose it, but it works a lot of the time. Nice facilities, a gift-shop (which didn't tempt) and a good vantage point all go to make up a great experience. It would be nice if the feeding platform was a little closer so the spectators were able to appreciate these magnificent creatures in all their detail, but there may be health and safety considerations that preclude this. Highly recommended.
Grahame Davidson245 days ago
Awesome, unbelievable amount of Red Kites appear. I counted 90. Great to watch and super close for photos of you can keep them in track. Lovely staff and a great setup.
Louise Beeby245 days ago
Fabulous viewing/feeding station to have a fantastic display of the red kites. Well worth the money, very friendly and knowledgeable people. Would recommend to visit.
Christine Williams1 year ago
This was a real gem... The kids loved the play toys inside and the kitten... We loved watching the red kites soaring free.. even though they didn't swoop en mass for the food some did and it was lovely.... It is a lovely place to browse the homemade crafts all reasonably priced.. we bought a picture made out of wool... And the lady who made it signed it for us.... Lovely place lovely people definitely worth a visit...
Oscar Soper2 years ago
Unfortunately our experience visiting the Red Kite centre fell well short of the expectations set by the other positive reviews.
It was a very wet day so we spent most of the time indoors. Indoors there were two areas; the entrance area with shop and cafe which seemed ok and alongside a large room with the kids play area which wasn't.
This large room was extremely dirty and in need of a very good tidy up and deep clean. There was mould on the wall, general dirt and grime on the tables & chairs. The cat cage and litter trays were in desperate need of emptying! There was also general mess with old equipment stacked on chairs, wires and other mess about the place. We planned on having coffee and cake during the visit but decided to give it a miss due to the condition of this room.
When it came to the Red Kite feeding lots of food was put down and a few took to the air but none took any food while we were there. Could be down to the weather but we felt maybe they were over fed.
We sincerely hope the feedback will lead to much needed improvements so there is a better experience for other visitors.
Michael Jubb2 years ago
A perfect place to view the Red kites Close up. We paid £10 for 2 adults and children u16 were free. There was a seating area outside , a children's area to play indoor/outside and also a cafe which sold refreshments and souvenirs.
Feeding time was 2pm but we had to wait until around 3 ish before they came to eat the food. However you could see them flying allover the place it was great
Richard Walker2 years ago
This is a great opportunity to see these birds up close performing aerial acrobatics as they dive to feed. This frenzied feeding is something to behold and you can hear the birds wings as they swoop down in front of you 😀 There is seating available on the viewing platform and also in the cafe area if it's cold and wet. It is easily accessible and there are toilets too. The staff are very friendly and are happy to share their knowledge about the birds. While we were there, one of the farmers brought out a week old piglet for some of the children to feed with a bottle, which was incredibly cute to watch. We've been several times over the years and have always had a great experience. Highly recommended 👍
Lynn Ball2 years ago
Lovely place, although a small coffee shop on site you are able to take your own food and eat in or out. Few farm animals to see and lovely walks. Feeding is at 2pm.
Once feeding starts then activity is fast and furious. Despite the number of birds present, photography is not as easy as you might think. The best technique is to select a subject not too far away and track it, hoping it will come closer. It's not perfect of course, when a Kite stoops or turns over itself and chooses a different flight path, it's easy to lose it, but it works a lot of the time.
Nice facilities, a gift-shop (which didn't tempt) and a good vantage point all go to make up a great experience. It would be nice if the feeding platform was a little closer so the spectators were able to appreciate these magnificent creatures in all their detail, but there may be health and safety considerations that preclude this. Highly recommended.
It was a very wet day so we spent most of the time indoors. Indoors there were two areas; the entrance area with shop and cafe which seemed ok and alongside a large room with the kids play area which wasn't.
This large room was extremely dirty and in need of a very good tidy up and deep clean. There was mould on the wall, general dirt and grime on the tables & chairs. The cat cage and litter trays were in desperate need of emptying! There was also general mess with old equipment stacked on chairs, wires and other mess about the place. We planned on having coffee and cake during the visit but decided to give it a miss due to the condition of this room.
When it came to the Red Kite feeding lots of food was put down and a few took to the air but none took any food while we were there. Could be down to the weather but we felt maybe they were over fed.
We sincerely hope the feedback will lead to much needed improvements so there is a better experience for other visitors.
Feeding time was 2pm but we had to wait until around 3 ish before they came to eat the food. However you could see them flying allover the place it was great
This frenzied feeding is something to behold and you can hear the birds wings as they swoop down in front of you 😀
There is seating available on the viewing platform and also in the cafe area if it's cold and wet. It is easily accessible and there are toilets too.
The staff are very friendly and are happy to share their knowledge about the birds.
While we were there, one of the farmers brought out a week old piglet for some of the children to feed with a bottle, which was incredibly cute to watch.
We've been several times over the years and have always had a great experience. Highly recommended 👍
Few farm animals to see and lovely walks.
Feeding is at 2pm.