Festival Park Owl Sanctuary Animal shelter in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent

Leo Joseph Philip O’Keefe

"Absolutely fantastic place considering it’s free entry. Some beautiful birds here, plenty to see. This would be a great place to take children too (but suitable for anyone). It’s a bit out of the way, but absolutely worth checking out if you like owls. No pressure on you to donate, but please do - it’s a great spot."

Flash

"I was absolutely blown away by how many beautiful birds of prey we saw today, so many owls and the most beautiful Steppe Eagle! I highly recommend a visit and a charity donation to help them keep feeding and taking care of the feathered beauties who live there. The staff are so friendly and lovely and the goats on site will sing to you the entire time!!"

Shannyn Sachse

"It's very rustic, google maps took us the 'scenic' route (it was actually very scenic) to find it, and our route was momentarily barred by a miniature horse....but it was 100% worth it.They explained that this sanctuary is run by volunteers, the birds are often exotic pets that ignorant owners just couldn't handle, and they survive on kind donations. It's a wonderful, supremely pretty and educational day out FOR FREE, but go donate what you can to something actually worthwhile whilst having a great day out in nature.P.s. apparently Lord Evan (huge grey owl) and the goats have some sort of gripe, so the internal feather vs hoof politics are amusing too. I'm guessing the goats said something rude...When you're done, there is place to picnic there but we went 2 minutes down the road to the beautiful fishing lake because it was chilly under the tree canopy. Space for kids to run, air deliciously clean, sun warming us up whilst we sat on one of many benches munching ham rolls. And flowers everywhere. Serenity at its best."

Emma P

"A really brilliant place with free entry. We visited on a Sunday and were able to stroke an owl and a tortoise, with plenty more birds to see and also a bearded dragon and goats. Only small but worth the visit and mostly accessible with prams, though steep in places. Paths have been kept clear of debris and in good condition. Some of the enclosures could do with a bit of love but it's definitely worth a £5-£10 donation. The shop was a bit empty but has a nice range of handmade and owl themed bits and bobs and a nice charity shop vibe. Also sells bottles/ cans of pop. There is an Aldi and a MacDonalds within easy driving distance.Car park area is small but plenty of parking on the hill. Maps will tell you to turn off into a sort of close of very large houses and go past the end one - you can just stay straight on the road through a gate to get to where you need to be. The road is narrow but there is a particularly large passing place about half way. Alternatively, you can park at the bottom of the hill and walk, which probably wouldn't take more than 15 minutes."

Barrie Evans

"A fantastic little place, and definitely worth an hour or two of your time. Be careful that sat nav doesn't take you to the old festival park site as there is no entry from that end.The volunteers who run this sanctuary clearly love the birds and do a fantastic job, but don't go there expecting a big commercial venue, it is a small hidden away gem that looks very much in need of funding and they rely on donations as there is no entry fee charged.I would definitely recommend a visit here and please be generous with your donations so that they can continue the great work they are doing for these beautiful birds."