Fun for Free at Tregenna Castle

Tregenna Castle Hotel is offering locals a mass of free fun this year, from falconry displays to woodland walks.

A series of dazzling flying displays by owls, falcons and hawks is taking place in ourbeautiful grounds and entry to all of them is free. The free flying demonstrations show a range of different birds of prey and their different flying techniques while the static display offers the opportunity to get close to the birds.

The falconry sessions begin on the 13 April and then run on 20 April, 1 June and another six days in July and August. Each begins at 6pm and finishes around 7.30pm. Julian Clement of Countryside Hawking is giving the demonstrations. He loves showing his birds of prey at Tregenna Castle: “Because Tregenna offers such a private location, we can offer the best close encounter handling sessions. Member of the audience can actually put the glove on and have the birds fly to them – you can’t get closer to a bird of prey than this!”

Set in a magnificent 72 acre estate, Tregenna is also encouraging locals to explore its fantastic woodlands. The ravine walk was recently featured on Inside Out and it has some stunning flora and fauna as well as a waterfall. General Manager Sheila Barker encourages the general public to visit the hotel: “Tregenna’s estate is quite magnificent and we are really keen for locals to enjoy it, that’s why the falconry displays and the walks are free." She continues, “The nature trail was originally created in the 1920s and has been painstakingly brought back to life by the hotel’s grounds team. In addition, we have recently been working with the RSPB and have installed over 40 bird boxes. Some of these are at eye level so that children can see the nests for themselves."

With its stunning views of St Ives and the glorious coastline of St Ives Bay, Tregenna has a multitude of spots perfect for picnics, enabling local families to enjoy a whole day out. All of the hotel’s facilities are available for non-residents as well as guests throughout the year. This includes the Brasserie where a well earned hot chocolate can replenish calories burnt off by walking in the woodland.

It will soon be even easier for local people to access Tregenna Castle with the arrival of the new shuttle bus travelling to and from the centre of St Ives twice a day.