Things to do · Bourton-on-the-Water
Birdland Park and Gardens
A bird park on the Windrush at Bourton-on-the-Water since 1957, with what it calls England's only breeding King Penguins, flamingos, pelicans and a nature reserve.
Family-friendly · Dog-friendly · Car-free
Time your visit for the penguin feed at 3pm, and come by bus or train for 20 per cent off. Mostly flat and step-free, with a Changing Places toilet and free wheelchairs to borrow.
- Good: Penguin feed daily at 3pm
- Good: Mostly level, with a Changing Places toilet
- Good: 20 per cent off with a same-day bus or train ticket
- Good: Dogs welcome on a lead
- Worth knowing: No family ticket
- Worth knowing: £1.50 fee on online bookings
About
Birdland was opened in 1957 by Len Hill, a local builder, in the grounds of Chardwar, a Tudor manor house in the village, and by its own account was one of the first bird attractions in the UK. Today it covers nine acres of gardens and woodland, on a former Bryant and May poplar plantation, along the River Windrush on Rissington Road, a two-minute walk from the middle of Bourton-on-the-Water.
It keeps more than 500 birds in over 50 aviaries, among them flamingos, pelicans, owls, cassowaries and Waldrapp ibis, with areas for parrots and owls, a trail of life-sized dinosaurs and a nature reserve. Its Penguin Shore holds what Birdland calls England's only breeding group of King Penguins, as well as Humboldts; in August 2026 it hatched the first King Penguin chick in the UK for 12 years. Keepers feed the penguins daily at 3pm, which is also the last entry time, so arrive before then.
Most paths are level, there is a Changing Places toilet, and wheelchairs can be borrowed free. Dogs are welcome on a lead, including in the café. Visitors who arrive by bus or train get 20 per cent off with a same-day ticket. Children must come with an adult, a senior or a carer over 16. On some busy weekends Birdland says extra paid parking opens at Bourton Vale Cricket Club, Manor Fields and the Cotswold School.
The Model Village and the village centre are a short walk away, which makes Birdland easy to pair with a day in Bourton without moving the car.
Opening hours and season
| Monday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Thursday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Sunday | 10:00 to 16:00 |
Open daily 10am to 4pm when we checked in October 2026, last entry 3pm. Open all year except 24 and 25 December. Penguin feeding display daily at 3pm.
Facilities
- The Nest Kitchen and Café
- Changing Places toiletChanging bench and hoist, by the Nest
- Two accessible toilets
- Dogs on a lead
- Pay and display car parkRissington Road, a minute's walk
The details
- Features
- Café · Shop · By the water · Picnic area · Guided tours
- History
- Opened 1957
- Parking
- Pay and display car parks on Rissington Road (a minute's walk) and Station Road (five minutes). They fill early at weekends and in holidays. For satnav, Birdland suggests GL54 2AY.
- Without a car
- Train to Moreton-in-Marsh, then the Pulhams bus to Bourton. Show a same-day bus or train ticket for 20 per cent off entry.
Photos
King penguins 
Lilac-breasted roller 
Caribbean flamingo 
Flamingos on the water
Location
Accessibility
- Step-free access
- Accessible toilet
- Changing Places toilet
- Assistance dogs welcome
- Parking within 50 metres
Most paths are level tarmac; some areas, including picnic spots, are compact gravel or grass. Wheelchairs free to borrow (book on 01451 820480). Disabled bays in the pay and display car park a minute away. Quietest on weekdays outside school holidays, early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Ear defenders and sensory aids are welcome.
Places to stay nearby
-
Chester House Hotel
Hotel · Bourton-on-the-Water
A family-owned hotel with 22 rooms on Victoria Street, Bourton-on-the-Water, with L'Anatra Italian Kitchen, a walled garden, a car park and rooms for small dogs.
Dog-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
-
The Dial House
Hotel · Bourton-on-the-Water
A hotel with 13 rooms on Bourton-on-the-Water's High Street, five of them designed by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, with a restaurant, a garden and parking for guests.
Verified Nov 2026
-
Old Manse Hotel
Inn · Bourton-on-the-Water
A Cotswold-stone inn of 1748 on Victoria Street, Bourton-on-the-Water, with 15 rooms, three of them for dogs, and pub food all day, run by Greene King Inns.
Dog-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
Nearby walks, places and things to do
- The Dragonfly Maze
- The Old New Inn 0.3 km away
- The Model Village, Bourton-on-the-Water 0.3 km away
- The Croft 0.3 km away
Sights nearby
-
Greystones Farm nature reserve
Sight · Nature reserve · Bourton-on-the-Water
Greystones Farm is Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust's 66-hectare farm reserve on the edge of Bourton-on-the-Water: flower-rich meadows that are an SSSI, the Dikler and the Eye, a replica roundhouse and the banks of Salmonsbury Camp. Free and open all year.
-
Narrow Bridge, Bourton-on-the-Water
Sight · Bridge · Bourton-on-the-Water
Narrow Bridge is the oldest dated of the low stone footbridges over the Windrush in Bourton-on-the-Water, built in 1756 with three rusticated arches and low parapets. Listed Grade II with three of its neighbours, it is crossed free at any time.
-
Bourton-on-the-Water war memorial
Sight · Monument · Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water's war memorial is a tall stone cross of 1920 on the green beside the Windrush, raised by the village for its 27 men who died in the First World War, with 12 names added after the Second. Listed Grade II; open at all times.
-
St Lawrence's Church, Bourton-on-the-Water
Sight · Church · Bourton-on-the-Water
St Lawrence's is Bourton-on-the-Water's parish church on the High Street: a chancel of 1328, a Georgian tower of 1784 under a lead dome and a nave taken back to the Gothic style in 1891. Grade II*, open daily from about 10am to 4pm, step-free and dog friendly.