Dog Friendly: Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park Review – May 2025

Originally published on May 19, 2025 | Last updated on October 12, 2025

We first took Mabel to the beach for the first time in Hornsea. She enjoyed it so much, and we all needed a holiday, so it made sense to go away again. We booked 2 and a half days at The Bay Holiday Park in Filey. This review is part of a larger article on the 10 best things to do in Filey with a dog.

Whilst there, we visited the award-winning Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park. We visited this dog-friendly attraction on a Thursday afternoon at around 2 PM. Whilst we only took Mabel, this would be a great family attraction to visit and day out with the kids and your dog. Especially as Mabel tends to love and be curious about all animals, she practically yanks my arm off when she knows she is going to doggy day care.

Spoiler alert, this is a great dog friendly thing to do in Filey! Canine visitors are very much welcome.

Is Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park dog friendly?

Yes, it is clearly stated on their website that all dogs are welcome in the park. They are allowed everywhere except for the childrens play park, as long as they are :-

• On a short lead
• Controlled at all times (We use the Ezy dog chest plate harness to help with this.)
• Cleaned up afterwards

This has been reinforced by their post on Facebook from February 2026 shown below.

We also saw 3 different dogs whilst inside with Mabel, along with multiple dog bowls around the park filled with water and the cashier at the entrance actively petted her.

Pros

35 different animal types

We didn’t quite know what to expect from a smaller dog friendly zoo in Filey. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the 35 different animal types on display at the Filey Bird garden and Animal Park.

Mabels personal favourites were the meerkats, Zelda and Ziggy the Zebus and Oona the tanuki.

My highlights were George the parrot, Jake the Donkey and Ronaldo the alpaca.

Dog Mom preferred the pygmy goat, Hortatia the tortoise and Karma the chameleon

Animal	Animal type	Name
Parakeets	Bird
Poultry	Bird
Waterfowl	Bird
Pheasants	Bird
Parrots	Bird	George, Skips and Freddie
Barn Owl	Bird
Finches	Bird
Rhea/ostrich	Bird
Softbill birds	Bird
Asian leopard cat	Mammal
Leopard cat	Mammal	Jango
Meerkats	Mammal
Skunk	Mammal	Panda
Tanuki	Mammal	Oona
Rabbits/Cavies	Mammal
Mara	Mammal
Lemurs	Mammal	Angus, Finola and Peebles
Goats	Mammal	Patrick, Alfie and Rosie
Wallabies	Mammal
Zebu	Mammal	Zelda and Ziggy
Rheas	Mammal
Sheep	Mammal
Alpacas	Mammal	Ronaldo
Marmosets	Mammal
Shetland ponies	Mammal	Merry and Pippin
Donkey	Mammal	Jake
Chipmunks	Mammal
Prevost’s squirrels	Mammal
Guinea pigs	Mammal
Coati	Mammal	Rose, Lily and Violet
Uromastyx lizard	Reptile
Reticulated python	Reptile	Aja
Chameleon	Reptile	Karma
Corn snake	Reptile	Coral
Tortoises	Reptile	Hortartia and Josie

Good value for money

For less than £10 for an adult, it is hard to argue this isn’t good value. With just the 35 different animal types alone, that works out at 28P per animal, along with the 3 different gardens. We went around the park twice, further bringing the cost down to about 14P per animal, as we saw them twice.

To keep costs down, you can also bring your own food and eat it on the 3 picnic tables within the park, whilst refilling a water bottle at the tap stations.

Free car park with 15+ spaces

Parking can be a nightmare in small coastal towns such as Whitby, Hornsea and Filey. Thankfully, Filey Bird Garden and Animal park has at least 15 spaces including 3 disabled spaces and bike racks for the cyclists among us.

The main car park is made out of loose gravel/stone however, so to avoid having to clean your car, make sure you use blankets/towels/covers so you don’t need to clean up paw prints.

Education talks and feeding times on the hour

Around each of the animals was a sign showing a time for when they were either going to be fed or when a talk was going to be given around the animals. We would loved to have stayed for one of these, however as Mabel is quite restless, she likely wouldn’t have sat through one of these without wanting to lick the person talking.

Dog friendly and treated as honoured guests

From entering the park, Mabel was treated well.

This was evidenced by :-

• The cashier who actively petted Mabel as she jumped up at the counter
• Excited greetings from other dogs within the park
• Being allowed everywhere in the park, except for the childrens play area
• The water bowls placed around the park and 3 water taps
• Free poo bags to pick up after your dog from the cafe
• Picnic benches and outdoor seating at the cafe for dogs

Cons

Weather could impact your experience due to only a few areas of shelter

We went to Filey Bird Garden and Animal park because there was a strong wind which would have made walking to Filey quite unpleasant from Humanby. Therefore, it was fairly cool and it didn’t rain.

Your experience may be different if it was scorching hot or if it there was heavy rain. Whilst there were 4 shaded areas with picnic tables, the majority of the park is out in the open. Therefore, people would likely all try to cram into the cafe, wait it out in the few shaded areas with picnic tables or take refuge in the gardens.

Small basic cafe

Whilst the cafe was nice, I would describe it as basic as it tended to serve pre packaged food such as sandwiches, sausage rolls, cakes, biscuits and crisps. There did not appear to be the facilities to cook and eat fresh food at the time of visiting.

What we love about Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park

• Dog friendly! Dog friendly zoos seem to be quite rare
• Great range of different animals to take your dog to see
• Large free car park
• Hourly keepr talks and feeding times for the animals and how they are looked after
• Seasonal events such as easter egg hunts, halloween trails and christmas activities
• Reasonably priced and can bring your own food for a picnic if you wanted to

Tips for Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park

• Would suggest going on a day where no rain is forecast, whilst some of the park is sheltered if it rains you would need to wait it out in the cafe
• Go on a weekday if you can to avoid crowds
• Bring comfortable walking shoes
• Be careful with some of the animals, if your dog approaches them they may try to bite or head butt them. (Ostrich, pygmy goat etc.)
• Go in the morning, as this is when most of the animals are supposed to be at their liveliest
• If going around Halloween, Easter or Christmas, check for seasonal activities
• Use blankets/towels to cover your car seats, the car park is made out of large loose gravel/stone and your dog will make a mess of your car by leaving footprints!
• It may be worth checking Groupon to see if you can get a discount. However, when I checked there wasn’t one on

Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park FAQs

Is there parking?

Yes, there is parking at Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park. There is a mostly level with large car park with 15+ car parking spots, 3 disabled spots and bike racks. It is mainly made out of loose gravel/stone with the 3 disabled spots made of tarmac with a tarmac path leading to the entrance.

Are there toilets?

Yes, there are well-maintained and clean toilets 3o yards from the entrance. There are separate toilets for Males and Females with baby changing facilities in both and a separate disabled toilet which does not require a key.

Is it baby and pushchair/pram friendly?

Yes, it is baby friendly. Male and Female toilets both have baby changing facilities.

The majority of the park is pram friendly. With wide paths and ramps in the gardens and to and from the cafe.

Path/door	Width in metre (M)	Width in feet (FT)	Material
Car park footpath	Open	Open	Tarmac
Main footpaths	3.6M	12FT	Compacted stone
Formal gardens	1.5M	5FT	Compacted pea gravel
Secret garden door	0.9M	3FT	N/A
Cafe door	0.9M	3FT	N/A

Can I bring my own food?

Yes, you can bring your own food and have a picnic and eat it at the 4 picnic tables within the park by the wood, gardens, play park and wildlife pond. However, please don’t eat at the picnic tables outside the cafe.

Is food available to buy?

Yes, food and drink can be purchased at the cafe at the entrance to the park and eaten either inside or outside. They offer a selection of cold sandwiches, sausage rolls, cakes, biscuits, crisps, hot & cold drinks and ice creams. 

What is there to do in Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park?

There are 5 acres of park to explore and the main 3 things you can do are look at the 35 different animals and feed some them, enjoy the informative keeper talks, play with the kids in the adventure play ground or just relax and enjoy the beautiful gardens.

Can dogs go to Filey Bird Garden?

Yes, all dogs are welcome in the park. They are allowed everywhere except for the children’s park. As long as they are on a short lead, fully controlled and cleaned up after. Free poo bags are available at the cafe and kiosk on entry.

Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park Visiting Information

Address and contact information

Contact	Information
Address	Scarborough Road Filey North Yorkshire YO14 9PG England
Phone number	01723 514439
Email address	[email protected]
Website	https://www.fileybirdgarden.com

Opening times

Open daily with closing time dependent on date. With last admission one hour before closing time.

Dates	Time	Last admission
29th March – 28th September	10AM – 5PM	4PM
29th September – 30th November	10AM – 4PM	3PM

Ticket pricing

Admission type	Age	Price
Adult	17+	£9.95
Child	2-16	£8.50
Family ticket (2 adults and 2 children)	N/A	£34 (£2.90 saving compared to buying seperately)
Child	Under 2	FREE

Facilities

• Free car park (With 3 disabled spaces, mini bus spaces and cycle racks.)
• Toilets (Including disabled toilets and baby changing facilities in men and womens toilets.)
• Dog water bowls and tap refills around park
• Accessible paths for pushchairs and wheelchair users
• Cafe selling hot drinks, cold drinks, cold sandwiches and snacks
• Gift shop selling souvenirs