Home to England’s largest forest and man-made lake, Kielder is an absolute haven for walkers, cyclists, and water sport enthusiasts. With a ton of wildlife to discover including the mighty Osprey, forest drives, art installations and on-site lodges, cottages and camping it is truly a must-visit destination here in Northumberland.
Kielder lake, has an area of around 11 square km, making it ideal for all manner of water-sports. Canoeing, sailing, water skiing, Kielder offers it all from their on site Calvert Kielder group. There is also mountain biking, horse riding and many more activities available here.
The forest park has many varied walks, with a 26 mile multi user trail which is suitable for all the family, walkers, cyclists and wheelchair users too. Even if you’re not the keen walker or adrenaline junkie outdoors type there are plenty of opportunities to park nearby the various sections of Kielder and enjoy a picnic or just take in the stunning scenery. There is truly something for everyone here.
Located in certified gold tier dark sky territory, Kielder Observatory is perfectly placed for those unreal star and planet gazing opportunities. The observatory runs a programme of events and opportunities to see and learn more about the amazing sights in our night sky. Autumn and Winter especially are the best times to witness this as the nights draw in, somewhere I haven’t yet visited myself but is always on my list.
The dark skies here also benefit the multitude of wildlife that lives here, Osprey return here every year to breed after an absence of over 200 years! Around 50% of England’s native red squirrels live here at Kielder now an increasingly rare sight making this habitat all the more precious.
There’s many options here at Kielder to extend your day trip to a stay, waterside Scandinavian style lodges, camping and caravan sites, and cottages. You’re really spoilt for choice! There are also various options to eat here, when I visited recently I had an amazing Sunday roast in the waterside pub The Forest Bar and Kitchen. There was a lot of lovely menu options here, there is also a Tower Knowe cafe here and various other pubs nearby the park.
There are over twenty pieces of art dotted around Kielder too which make an interesting trail, my favourites have to be Silvas Captialis, A large opened mouth head sculpture found along the Lakeside Way. Freya’s cabin and The Nick are also beautiful additions and worth a visit around the park to find for sure.
Find out more about all Kielder has to offer by visiting their website here Visit Kielder
