Learn Falconry in Gloucestershire & Hampshire countryside

Honest level: Beginner to advanced — ask the school exactly how far that goes in the time you have.

Why Forest Barn Falconry School

• ★ 5/5 · 522 reviews on Feefo ↗

— don't take my word, check it yourself

Its resident falconer, Mark Parker, is a former Head Falconer at the International Birds of Prey Centre and was Oxford University's Consulting Falconer with the Oxford Flight Group, and as a Raptor Awards Assessor he can issue recognised falconry qualifications to course participants.

Schools in Gloucestershire & Hampshire countryside

Checked by hand against each school's own course pages. No school paid to be listed.

• The Falconry School (Gloucestershire)
  Beginner Falconry Course (one-to-one)
  A small Gloucestershire establishment dedicated to teaching falconry rather than running a public bird-of-prey centre, The Falconry School offers monthly one-to-one beginner courses and experience days handling and flying hawks, owls, and falcons (February–November).
  https://thefalconryschool.com/
• Hawk Conservancy Trust Falconry Award (Hampshire)
  Falconry Award Course (4-day, Raptor Award pathway)
  The Hawk Conservancy Trust in Hampshire runs a four-day Falconry Award course in the New Forest covering bird-of-prey selection, care, and handling, with assessment and follow-up workbooks leading to the nationally recognised Raptor Award.
  https://www.hawk-conservancy.org/your-visit/experiences/falconry-award/
• The National Falconry School (Derbyshire)
  Bird-of-prey ownership course (Certificate of Competence)
  Based at Ashover in Derbyshire, The National Falconry School offers introductions, half- and full-day hawk-and-owl flying experiences, and a hands-on course for prospective bird-of-prey owners leading to its Certificate of Competence.
  https://www.falconry-school.co.uk/

The credential

Master Falconer (national licence) / Raptor Award qualification · Certifying body: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage practice; national permit/apprenticeship systems; UK Raptor Award (Raptor Awards-accredited)

A recognised qualification an outside body stands behind is not the same as a certificate a school prints itself. We name which it is — you should ask the school the same.

Also for Falconry

What I check before I send you anywhere

I'm Arnaud. I cook for a living, and I've spent fifteen years on the water — so I know the difference between a real school and a good-looking website. I built the Atlas because I got tired of the second kind. Here is what a place has to clear before it goes on here, and what I'll tell you straight when it doesn't.

• The craft is actually alive there. A working scene, with people who do this every day — not a demo put on for visitors.
• There's a real teacher behind it. Named, still practising, and certified where the craft has certificates.
• The credential is what it claims to be. A state diploma and a certificate a school prints itself are not the same thing. I check which, and I say which.
• I tell you how sure I am. Most pages here are verified by hand. A few say "still checking" — I'd rather admit that than pretend.
• Nobody pays to be here. No commission, no selling the trip. The order on this map is the strength of the community, never the size of the wallet.
• If I wouldn't send a friend, it isn't on the map.