National Centre for Birds of Prey

• Flying demonstrations of roughly 40 minutes, with different birds introduced in each one, so staying for more than one shows you very different behaviour.
• Aviary walks through more than 40 enclosures, most open to visitors, with keepers and volunteers happy to talk about individual birds.
• Hawk Walk perches where birds sit close to visitors with no wire in the way, the best chance for clean photographs.
• 300 acres of surrounding parkland included with admission, with two marked trails through woodland and open estate ground.

Which birds fly depends on conditions, so no two visits are identical. High winds move flying to a sheltered woodland area, and genuinely wet weather can move some of it into the indoor flying area. Trained birds work for about nine months and then rest to moult, so the line-up changes through the year. The woodland setting is shaded and can feel chilly while you sit watching, so bring layers. For photography, aim for the Hawk Walk perches and the edges of the flying ground; the free-flying passes can come close to the audience.

Driving, the centre sits between Thirsk and Pickering off the A170, roughly 20 miles from the A1, approached through Helmsley. Some sat-navs send drivers down farm tracks, so follow the brown signs once you reach Helmsley. There is plenty of free parking, including dedicated disabled spaces. Paths are firm and even over most of the site, though one aviary block is down a steepish slope. Space is kept for wheelchairs at the demonstrations, and a single off-road wheelchair can be borrowed free on a first-come basis. There is an accessible toilet with baby changing near the shop and entrance, plus a second accessible unisex toilet behind the cafe.

The on-site cafe does freshly made sandwiches and toasties, homemade soup, cakes and tarts, using local suppliers where possible, with indoor and outdoor seating. There is also a gift shop, picnic tables and grass by the flying ground. Two things to plan for: the cafe gets busy and warm around lunchtime, so eat early or late, and the paths, while mostly good, are uneven in places and not uniformly flat. Dogs cannot come into the centre because they unsettle the birds, though the surrounding parkland offers dog walking.