Moreton-in-Marsh is a small town located in northeastern Gloucestershire. It was a simple and quaint town, and we felt really tranquil and relaxed while we were here.
Attractions
Cotswold Falconry Centre
We only visited one attraction here - the Cotswold Falconry Centre. It was relatively unknown - none of my friends have heard about it, despite it being ranked first on Tripadvisor's attractions at Moreton-in-Marsh. The centre isn't new - in fact, they just celebrated their 25th anniversary last year. Set against the beautiful surrounding Cotswold countryside, I was enthralled by the sights and demonstrations of the various falcons, eagles, vultures, and owls.
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| Wonderful weather for bird shows |
It costs just £10 (S$21.00), and provided almost a full day of entertainment. Thankfully it was also not crowded! The main draw of the place was the bird shows - four a day, at 1130am, 130pm, 3pm and 430pm. Each one lasts for around an hour and involve different birds, so technically you could be here the whole day. (I would recommend watching at least two)
At the beginning of the first show, the staff preempted everyone by saying,"I know most of you are going ask me this - by letting the birds fly so freely for our demonstrations, wouldn't we be worried that they would fly away and not come back?"
He paused, swept his gaze over the audience, then continued.
"Well, the truth is that, we want them to fly away. We want them to go back to the wild. But birds are not stupid - they know that they have food and shelter here, and free from predators. So they will always come back."
That was interesting. I have always thought that birds did not want to be caged and would definitely prefer complete freedom. But indeed, the fact that they let them fly away with no restraints does say quite a lot about how the birds feel.
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| Ollie , a Brown Wood Owl |
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| Georgie, a Woodfords Owl |
One of my favourite pictures for the trip. This was during one of the demonstrations, and to my delight, Georgie landed just around three feet from where I was sitting. Managed to get a good picture of him under the sunlight, and the different colours of his feathers were all very well-defined.
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| Crystal, a Snowy Owl |
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| Baby owls |
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| One of the vultures during the demonstration |
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| Desmond, a Great Horned Owl |
Desmond has been hand-fed since young, so he grew up having no fear for humans and was actually very "chatty" - he makes hooting noises in almost regular intervals.
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| Joe, a Barn Owl |
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| Lulu, a Black Chested Buzzard Eagle |
Another of my favourite pictures, with Lulu looking quite dignified in his refusal to fly during a demonstration. To his defence, the wind wasn't really strong enough for to fly properly.
Really love the blue sky as the background, and the long diagonal streak of clouds behind Lulu.
Address: Batsford Park, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9AB
Dining
The Spice Room
This was very highly ranked in Tripadvisor - second at the time we checked. So we were quite surprised when we dropped by for lunch and found the place totally deserted. The waiter explained that they get really full during dinnertime, and also do a lot of takeaway and delivery (cheaper than dining in). Overall, this place was rather good in both food and service, so it is definitely worth a visit.
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| Lamb curry, £5.95 (S$12.50) |
The lamb curry had a tinge of sweetness and was almost not spicy at all - obviously tailored for local tastes. The meat was quite tender and flavourful, and the curry was smooth enough to drink without feeling too bloated.
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| Madras mixed vegetables curry, £5.95 (S$12.50) |
We were given a choice of either Madras or Vindalo (spicy or very spicy). I opted for Vindalo but was warned (quite severely!) against it, so we settled for Madras. It ended up being only mildly spicy - not at all a challenge and definitely less spicy than my mother's curry. Tsk. But it was still pretty good.
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| Pilau rice, £2.15 (S$4.52) |
The rice was really disappointing - there wasn't much fragrance that one would expect from pilau rice. (And it costs S$4.50!)
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| Tandoori chicken, £6.95 (S$14.60) |
The chicken was grilled well, and the meat was also not too dry.
Address: 3 Oxford St, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0LA
Website: http://spiceroomrestaurant.com/
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