My sister saw a fabulous deal on Timeout UK and asked if I would be interested in some falconry when visiting her in the UK. I said why not, so one early morning we drove out from London to Bedford in search of the school to give our hand at flying some birds of prey.
It was a bit of a drive in slight drizzle to Bedford but the scenery made it great fun. Luckily the rain stopped when we arrived at the school.
The session started with some brief introductions of the school and specifics on how to handle the birds, such as no petting them no matter how adorable they are. Then it's off to some close interaction with the birds. During the session, we got to fly the Harris hawks, Owls, Barn Owls (technically they are not owls, according to our guides) and even hold the resident Bald Eagle (which are huge).
The handlers are great with the birds and you can tell that they are really passionate about the birds and know each and every bird very well. All in all, it was a wonderful experience and we had an enjoyable time getting close to the birds.
Address:
Herrings Green Farm
Cotton End Road
Wilstead Bedfordshire
MK45 3DT
Check out the school's review on Tripadvisor