Kielder Water and Forest Park - Planning your visit

 

How much does it cost?

A car park fee of £3 is charged at the Castle Car Park. This ticket allows you to park in any car park in Kielder Water and Forest park (including Northumbria Water Car parks). Vehicles using the scenic 12 mile Forest Drive are requested to pay a £3 toll at the Kielder Castle end of the drive.   

Access to Kielder Castle and associated facilities is free.

When is it open?

Kielder Water and Forest Park never closes! Access to the forest can be made 24 hours a day. Kielder Castle opening hours vary according to season, while the Forest Drive is open from Easter to Christmas (weather permitting).

What facilities are there?

Kielder Castle Visitor Centre includes an exhibition, gallery, gift shop, licensed restaurant, adventure playground and maze. Cycle hire is available near the visitor centre. The forest contains a large range of waymarked walking and cycling routes (suitable for all abilities), orienteering courses, horse riding trails, picnic sites and many art pieces.

How to get there?

Kielder Water and Forest Park is England’s largest forest, centred at Kielder Castle (adjacent to Kielder village) in the breathtaking wild Border Country around the North Tyne Valley. Kielder is about as remote as it gets in England, with the nearest major population centres over fifty miles away.

By Public Transport: Reaching Kielder Castle by public transport is not straightforward. The only daily direct service is by Postbus from Hexham (via Bellingham).

For a timetable, visit www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/postbus

At weekends during the summer, the ‘Kielder Bus’ (service number 714, Arriva) runs a morning service between the Metro Centre and Kielder village, returning late afternoon.

For full timetable information on all public transport journeys in the Northeast, call the ‘Traveline’ on 0870 6082608 or visit www.travelinenortheast.info for the online journey planner.

By Car: The fastest route to Kielder Forest is via the A69 Carlisle-Newcastle road. From the east, leave at the junction for Corbridge and follow the Brown tourist signs on to the A68. From the west, exit the A69 at the turn for Bellingham (B6320) and follow the brown tourist signs for the Forest. If you are travelling from the Scottish borders, there are two routes that take you Kielder Castle. The first is via the A68 from Jedburgh, turning on to the Kielder Forest Drive toll road 2 miles (4 kilometres) north of Rochester. Alternatively, follow the B6357 from Bonchester Bridge or Newcastleton to Kielder for a spectacular ‘alternative’ Border crossing.

Multimap directions to Kielder Water and Forest park

Where to Stay?

Accommodation in the Kielder area is in limited supply, so it is worth booking ahead, especially in the summer season. There are options to suit all visitors, from mountain bothies and campsites, to bed and breakfasts and spacious cabins.

For information on the location of bothies and backpacking sites in the Kielder area, contact Margaret Hardon on 01434 220242 or visit the Mountain Bothies Association website.

Near Kielder Castle is Kielder Campsite (telephone 01434 250291) and Kielder Youth Hostel (telephone 01434 250195). Four miles (7 kilometres) south of Kielder Castle is the Northumbria Water site at Leaplish, where accommodation can be booked in spacious lake-side cabins (telephone 01434 250294).

The ‘Visit Northumbria’ website has a list of accommodation in the area and runs an online booking service at www.visitnorthumbria.com or call their visitor helpline on 08701 601781. 

Nearest Tourist Information Centres:
Bellingham 01434 220616
Hexham 01434 652220
Otterburn 01830 520093

Where to eat?

Kielder Castle is the home of the ‘Duke’s Pantry’ licensed restaurant (telephone 01434 250100), where you can enjoy afternoon tea or a hot meal in the glorious setting of the Castle’s historic grounds. A hearty pub dinner in nearby ‘Angler’s Arms’ will satisfy hungry evening diners. Self-caterers can stock up on supplies in Kielder village shop. The Visit Northumbria website lists a selection of eating establishments in the area.