Millets Wildside
📍 Frilford
🌿 Zoo
💷 £10 - £15 pp
⏰ Half day
👣 High Energy
☕ Café nearby
March 2026 · Nature Adventures · Zoo
A chilly March day with birds of prey swooping past our ears and high fives with lemurs.
When Little Leopard doubled down on his intentions to be 'Just like Steve Backshall' then Millets Wildside was high up on my list to visit. Especially since he's become so enthusiastic about birds of Prey.
We last visited years ago, when, if my memory serves me well (it might not), then it was mainly about the birds, Which were amazing this time, but we also enjoyed the variety of other animals to see this time including meerkats, capybaras, and ohmygooood the showman-worthy lemurs.
There are 3 bird displays each day at the weekends, with different birds flying in each. They were impressive and fun, with the handlers giving lots of interesting information, while everyone ducked as the birds flew over our heads. In between we visited the other animals both on the zoo, and in the free section of Millets.
My favourite bits of the day were the unexpected encounters, I loved the axolotl chilling in its tank, and the otters opening shells, and how close we got to the wallabys.
Little Leopard loved the marmosets, mainly due to the fact that they appeared to love him, getting excited when he stuck his tongue out at them. His favourite bird was the Caracaras, filled with character, hopping around and knocking over plant pots to get to the treats underneath. My favourite bird was the owl because, as documented in the bereal screenshot, it was massive and flew right over us. What a wingspan. What a beauty.
The only thing I'd change about our visit is the time of year we went. It ended up being a cold March day, and the zoo didn't have a lot of inside areas. There's no cafe at Wildside but get your hand stamped and you can go in and out as much as you like, so we ended up going to the Millets cafe halfway through the day to warm up with hot chocolates.
Next time, I'd love to book one of the animal experiences alongside our visit. Surprising Little Leopard with a junior zookeeper day there would be his version of a disneyland trip. As I know for sure by the way he was eyeing up other children enjoying their birds of prey encounter with deeply unsubtle envy.
There's plenty to do arount the rest of the Millets complex while you wait for the next bird display, including the animal walkway (look out for the alpacas that appear to have moustaches), a playground, soft play, garden centre, and paid for seasonal events including a maize maze and pick your own.
Nature Notes
Great Grey Owl
The longest owl.
Their wingspan can reach over 5 feet.
They have specialised wing feathers to help them fly silently.
They use abandoned nests rather than building their own.
Otter
Their fur is some of the densest in the world.
They can swim up to 7 miles per hour.
River otters tend to be solitary, while sea otters tend to be more sociable.
They can hold their breath for up to 8 minutes.
Buzzard
The most common bird of prey in the UK.
Their calls can be mistaken for cats meowing.
The males are much smaller than the females.
They'll eat small mammals, bugs, animals that are already dead (carrion).
A fun day ducking at bird displays, giggling at marmosets, and coo-ing at meerkats.
Address: Millets Farm Centre, Kingston Road, Abingdon, OX13, 5HB
Parking: Free parking
Opening Hours: 10.30 - 16.30 Tuesday - Sunday (plus Mondays that are bank holidays or school holidays).
Entry Fee: £10 - £15pp
Website: Milletswildside.co.uk
