The Forestry Commission is committed to making our woodlands accessible to all. Our visitor centres, shops, toilets and forest classrooms are all fully accessible. The Duke’s Trail at Kielder Castle, the Riverside trail at Hamsterley, and the Easy-Going trails at Chopwell Wood and Wooler Common have also been designed with less-abled visitors in mind. Other walking trails are described here so a more informed decision on their suitability for users can be made. For further information on any of the trails or facilities, or to report an accessibility issue, please contact Richard Gilchrist on 01434 220242.
Chopwell Woodland Park
Length: 0.3 miles (0.5 km)
A short, level walk on surfaced track, suitable for wheelchairs along the entire length. Benches and picnic tables provide frequent opportunities to rest.
Length: 1.4 miles (2.2 km)
This is a level, moderately easy walk along wide forest roads and stone surfaced tracks. There is one moderate descent (200m) and one short, sharp incline on the return to the car park. Seating is available at three places en-route.
Length: 3.3 miles (5.3 km)
A more demanding walk on forest road and both surfaced and unsurfaced track. A number of sharp climbs and descents mark this walk. Five benches and one picnic area with tables provide rest stops.
Length: 4.7 miles (7.6 km)
The longest waymarked walk in the wood follows forest road and both surfaced and unsurfaced track. A number of long descents and ascents and four sharp inclines characterise this walk. Infrequent rest stops (five benches).
Hamsterley Forest
Length: 1 mile (1.5 km) linear, or 2.5 miles (4 km) circular
This trail is fully accessible to wheelchair users for the first one-mile of its length. The path surface is level and finished with a fine grade top layer. A number of benches and wheelchair accessible picnic tables are en-route. Currently, the return route for unassisted wheelchair users is to either retrace your steps back along the trail or follow the Forest Drive back from Low Redford car park to the visitor centre. There is the option to complete a circular 2.5-mile route, but this involves crossing the Forest Drive and negotiating a steep incline onto rougher surfaced forest tracks. This route is negotiable for a wheelchair user with assistance.
Length: 2.5 miles (4 km)
A 2.5-mile circular walk mostly on surfaced forest roads or paths. There are four sharp inclines, most notably on the descent to the bridge at Low Redford car park. This bridge has one step on either side and is narrow (wide enough for passage in one direction). The trail ends with a flight of steps (with handrail) behind the visitor centre.
Length: 4.5 miles (8 km)
The longest of the walks from the visitor centre. This trail is 4.5 miles (8 km) long and follows a variety of surfaces, including surfaced and unsurfaced trail, and forest road. There are a number of moderate climbs and descents along the length of the trail. Two sets of steps are encountered, one without a handrail, and a narrow footbridge.
Length: 1.5 miles (2.5 km)
A short walk from Blacking Hole car park with quite steep, rocky climbs and descents. The first climb from the bottom of the valley is particularly steep on unsurfaced tracks as is the return back to Blackling Hole. Two short sections of steps (one with handrail) are present.
Length: 4.5 km (8 miles)
This trail follows mainly forest road, but with some sections on unsurfaced forest track. Some of these unsurfaced areas are especially prone to water and mud accumulation during wetter winter months. The terrain overall provides moderate climbs and descents, with two short sets of steps either side of the Grove Car Park.
Kielder Forest
Length: 26 miles (42km)
This path circumnavigates Kielder Reservoir with various access points, including Kielder Castle. The route is surfaced with compacted fine graded stone and is wheelchair/ buggie accessible along its entire length apart from a 4km stretch from Kielder village along Bakethin shoreline. This part of the trail is not topped with finishing material and as a result the surface is covered with looser material than other stretches of the Lakeside Way. Several gradients and the distance between access points may make assistance for manual wheelchair a necessity. Electric wheelchairs are permitted, although the distances involved and remoteness of some of the trail require thorough preparation, including ensuring batteries are full and others are aware of your planned route.
Length: 3 miles (5 km)
The first mile of the Duke’s Trail, with slight inclines and a fine graded stone surface, is designed for use by wheelchair users and families with buggies. The remaining 2 miles is on a mixture of forest road and surfaced path. One sharp descent through Ravenshill Wood renders this section of the trail unsuitable for unaccompanied wheelchair users.
Length: 2 miles (3 km)
The Duchess Trail is on both surfaced and unsurfaced forest paths. Before reaching the old packhorse bridge (narrow ‘humpback’ bridge), the trail passes through two ‘kissing’ gates. After crossing the bridge there are moderate inclines as well as two sets of steps (with handrail) to take you to the top of Jamie’s Crags.
This trail (2.5miles, 4km) follows mainly unsurfaced forest track interspersed with sections of stone-surfaced path. A number of small sections of steps (no handrail) are located on the trail to the north of the Lewisburn. The one major incline on the route is the ascent and descent to the lookout above Bloody Bush Road. A flight of steps with no handrail marks the climb to the top.
Length: Tarset Trail, 1 mile (1.6km), Reivers Trail, 4 miles (7km)
The trails at Sidwood are on a variety of surfaces, from tarmac road and forest road to both surfaced and unsurfaced path. The quality of the unsurfaced sections varies greatly depending on weather conditions. Sections running alongside Tarset Burn can be very wet or even flooded when the river is in spate. Generally the trails are gently undulating, but with small, moderate climbs on sections of both the Tarset and Reivers Trails. Steps are a major feature on both trails. The main set of steps on the Tarset trail leaving the car park have a handrail, but the sections of steps on the Reivers Trail on the outward leg have no handrail. The return leg of the Reiver Trail from Black Midden Bastle crosses farmland on public rights of way, via two gates.
Mainly on unsurfaced forest tracks, the Hindhope Linn trail is a short 1.25-mile (2km) walk that has a number of short, sharp inclines traversed by small sections of steps (with and without handrails). A number of benches provide frequent rest stops and the chance to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere.
The waymarked trail (1.5 miles, 2.5km), is gently undulating on a mixture of surfaced and unsurfaced paths.
A 2.5 mile (4km) walk mainly on hard forest road/embankment pathway, but with sections on unsurfaced path. The trail is mainly flat but with one moderate descent on forest road towards the lakeside. At the end of this descent there is a flight of steps leading down from the forest road to the embankment footpath. There are two gates near the start of the trail.
Forests of Rothbury
The entire length of the 4 km (2.5 mile) Woodland Walk (green) is on forest road. Gradients are mainly gentle, with one moderate incline. The Hepburn Crag walk although only slightly longer, is far more strenuous than the former. More than 2/3 of the walk is on unsurfaced paths and follows narrow tracks through the forest and across open moorland. The route is marked by two long, steep ascents to Hepburn Crag and then Ros Castle. There is a gate to pass through at the top of Hepburn Crag.
Both trails at Holystone follow unsurfaced track at some point in their length. Access to the trails is via a gate at the car park. The shortest walk to Lady’s Well (green) is the most level trail. The Dove Crag walk involves walking over rough ground, especially the return section of the Dove Crag walk that crosses Holystone Common. This involves a long descent and climb back out of the Common.
The 1.5 km (1 mile) Car Park Walk is the most accessible walk at Simonside. On well surfaced roads and paths, the walk has one long ascent out of the car park before gently dropping back on the return route. The other walks at Simonside both climb towards the top of Simonside Crag. These walks are characterised by walking on rough tracks with both long, prolonged ascents and descents. Benches provide welcome resting places at the foot of the crags.
Due to the nature of the landscape at Thrunton, strenuous climbs and descents mark all three walks. The Crag Top (green) provides the most moderate of these climbs and is mainly (75%) on forest road. Benches provide frequent resting stops. The other walks are lengthy and involve much walking on rough tracks.
Wooler Common Woodland Park Walks
The easy-going trail at Wooler Common is 1km in length and built on a wheelchair accessible path, that is surfaced with tarmac and contains no gradient greater than 10%. Handrails are present on any inclines. Benches are placed every few yards. Access onto the wider Common is via unsurfaced paths.
