dalhousie castle falconry

Good variety of birds of prey shown outdoors. Regular falcon flying dependent on weather. Majority of birds hand reared fro eggs or chicks, but only one rescue bird.

Great collection of birds, very knowledgable and friendly staff. Been a good few times over the years.Hawk walk was a great day

As a birthday treat my wife organised a combined afternoon of archery and falconry. Enjoyed the archery - Julie was very friendly and entertaining and taught us what we needed to know. LOVED the falconry. The guided tour of the mews was really interesting and hearing about the different personalities of the owls and raptors was funny, engaging and warm. This warmth for the job our instructor did and, more importantly, the living creatures under her care was just first class.Having a Harris' Hawk and then an Owl land on your fist is just an amazing experience.Highly recommend!

This is our second visit to Dalhousie Castle Falconry and what an amazing and romantic day out. My husband booked it as a surprise for Valentine;s day and I couldn't have asked for more. The birds are absolutely stunning and a joy to fly, the knowledge of the handlers is wonderful and the atmosphere is very relaxing. I love being able to fly the birds and then get time handling and stroking them, it is very peaceful and a great opportunity to take close up photos of the amazing birds. My favourite is Jake the Raven!

Great 2 hour experience seeing all the different birds.Handled a little owl,one of the buzzards, and an eagle owl.Some great pictures both of me and my partner handling the birds.At the end we had a picture with one of the Russian Eagles.All in all a fantastic afternoon.

The Keepers were laid back and friendly, took time to answer questions, obviously cared very much for them, you could tell even by the way they spoke to them! The birds themselves were stunning, an impressive collection.

We had a very enjoyable experience for all the family .The children had a fantastic time with the birds .Archery instruction was very clear and concise.Highly recommended experience .

We booked this as a Christmas treat and could not have been more thrilled. There is a beautiful range of birds in a peaceful location and an experience never to forget.From the initial booking via email the whole process couldn't have been easier, the team there are fantastic.On arrival we had a friendly greeting from the staff (apologies for forgetting your names, I don't think I was taking much in early on being so close to these amazing birds). We wandered round and looked at the birds, agree they are all very well looked after and cared for. There was only three booked on our trip (though I believe they only ever do small groups to ensure a great time), we had booked the Ultimate Experience and I can't recommend it enough.We got to initially fly a tawny owl, a perfect introduction to how to have a bird fly to you. Our handler was as patient and calm with me as she was respectful and appreciative of the birds. I was nervous as had booked this for my partner and thought I'd be a bit anxious, she put me at ease and kept the whole group engaged. The chat was very informative and throughout the visit answered all our questions, learned so much.We also got to fly a common buzzard, Harris hawk and an eagle owl (my favourite). Each was a different experience and getting to know the birds and their personalities/habits was fascinating. The grounds lend them selves to an ideal setting and relaxed environment. We also got a tour of all the birds with more interesting information and got to see them being fed.Everything was professional, enjoyable and I could have used absolutely amazing in every sentence of this review. Highly, highly recommend as a gift, treat for yourself or if you are in the area do not miss it. Thanks to the staff who deserve credit and the magnificent birds themselves, an experience we will never forget but already planning to repeat.

Amazing experience that I can't get in the states. Was searching for activities to do with my husband in the Edinburgh area and found this. Called them in the morning and had our appointment set that afternoon for a half hour with a raptor (you can choose an owl or raptor). I recommend arriving at least a half hour before your appointment because they have the birds out on display. Buzzards, Hawks, owls, and Eagles are all there on display. You can tell the birds are treated very and the property and cages are very well maintained. Our host was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about all the birds and falconing. Highly recommended this for a very fun and exciting animal experience.

Fantastic! Great creatures to watch in action. Be prepared for 2 1/2 hours of wow! You get to have a friend tag along with you to take many photos and they enjoy the experience just as much.

Took our grandchildren as a treat,on the outskirts of Bonnyrigg in the grounds of Dalhousie Casle.Our grandchildren enjoyed seeing all the diffrent birds of prey,the keeper was very knowledgeable and kept the walk around very interesting.The boys loved putting on the glove and having the falcon fly to their hand.Not very large,but well worth a visit. Only dislike for me,watching the birds eating raw meat.

Had a weekend break at the castle and wasn't aware that the falconry was actually on site. It was no hassle at all just wandering around taking close up pictures of the birds and then we managed to book a slot on the same day to fly with a buzzard. I had always wanted to try this and it was an amazing experience having the bird fly to you and watching it at close quarters on the end of your arm. The instructor was very informative and helpful and allowed us to take out another bird (lanner falcon) for some photos. I just can't wait to go back now and fly one of the big owls!

We just loved it. Were supposed to be spending our time in Edinburgh but Dalhousie's library room appealed to us much more :)... Amazing rooms, perfect service (Skevos and the rest of the team were just great!!), tasty food and a lovely spa! Close proximity to the city of Edinburgh. Amazing combination of city break and castle living experience!

Loved this addition to the castle during my stay. What a treat! Makes it worth every penny staying here as apposed to a normal hotel. We came to Scotland to visit Rosslyn chapel and Edinburgh. This castle was a few miles outside but well worth it. It made my stay.

We arrived late to our appointment (late flight arrival) but our "instructor" for this experience couldn't be more gracious about the wait. We really got into the whole lesson (including laying on the ground and having an owl literally fly so low over us he could've touched our noses). We worked with a large young owl and a falcon and had a ball! What a great way to learn about these majestic animals! Thanks for an amazing experience!!!!