I've been meaning to visit the Barn at Beal for several years now. I keep getting recommendations from people to go and try their restaurant apparently it's very good. I wouldn't know I didn't have more than a tea and scone there. The food did LOOK good, but it was a bit pricey, and we weren't there for lunch. Instead, we went for the birds. Please, please go, first and foremost, for the birds. They are truly wonderful, and are sorely overlooked. For a mere £5 (£3 for kids), you can have a good look around at the birds themselves, but also have unlimited access to the several flight displays the centre hosts throughout the day. The staff are great fun, very friendly and very knowledgeable, and we even got a chance to get hands on ourselves, holding Dudley the 5-week old Little Owl, and looking right into the eyes of a Harris Hawk. A worthwhile day out. Beautiful birds. read more

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Fabulous place for a bite to eat and a coffee en route to or from Holy Island, the Barn at Beal is a real gem. Good breakfast menu with vegetarian options (their veggie full breakfast is great but I opted for scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast today which came with either tea or coffee). There is a restaurant menu in the evenings but we've not tried that so I can't comment other than to say they make a point of using local and seasonal produce. Worth stopping and calling in for the stunning views across the causeway to Holy Island alone. Oh, and the Border Tart is to die for! read more

Wonderful food and an awesome view of Holy Island and pastureland. I'd recommend the seafood platter, locally sourced fish and chips, jacket potato with seafood source. I don't eat red meat but pretty sure that everything cooked here is delicious. read more

We went on Sunday 1 April, a family group of four to go in to the birds was £15. They were absolutely wonderful, sitting in a courtyard on leashes, with open fronted accommodation so they could see everything going on, and we could see them. There were British birds of prey, owls, hawks, and falcons and buzzards, Snowy Owls, and a Bengali Eagle Owl, . The birds were being fattened up, so were being flown for their own exercise only, but even so, we had a great display. The presentation was very engaging and inclusive. All the children got to have a bird visit their arm on a gauntlet, if they wanted. We were introduced to Cassie the Common Buzzard, Dudley the hilarious and wonderful Little Owl (Deadly Dudleydeadly to insects, that is) and Benny, a majestic Harris Hawk. Very characterful birds, beautiful, all of them, and they get very up close as they swoop in to you or over you for their bit of dead chick or whatever, um, treat. It's a treat to see the interaction between them and the handlers, who are great entertainers. Good 'people people'. Afterwards, at about three, we got lunch at the Barn a few yards away; sharing rounds of sandwiches and generous salad garnish and bowls of chips. 2 rounds each and two bowls of chips were plenty for four, we found. It's not fast food prices, but it's way beyond fast food quality, so it's still value for money. We sat out in the sun, coats on as it was nippy, and watched the ewes with their lambs as we ate. They do a good evening dinner on Fridays and Saturdays, very good, but pre-book for seven, not a later sitting. Above all, visit the birds. They like having people to see, things to do, and they are worth it. read more