George visited Kielder for the first time this summer. We set off early morning to avoid the heat and it proved a great decision. Due to the size of Kielder, we were unsure of which car park to head to so we opted for the popular Tower Knowe car park which has the visitor centre, cafe and toilets.
We went down to the lake from the car park and headed left down a track towards Bulls Crag Peninsula. This walk led us through beautiful forest paths where we were surrounded by huge trees, and down to the lake where George had a dip in the water! Where ever you go within Kielder you are blessed with stunning views that make the journey well worthwhile.
As you follow the path you will continue through endless forest, passing through a couple of gates where the dogs need to be on the lead, eventually you will reach a small bridge which we crossed over and walked up the tracks and onto Bulls Crag Peninsula. When on the peninsula, we continued to follow the path until we reached a stunning wooden structure which framed the amazing view in front (see photos below). It was here we turned round and retraced our steps back to the car park.
In total we covered around 12KM, considering the lakeside loop is 26 miles, we barely touched the sides so will definitely be back to explore new sections! Once back in the car park, we treated George to a Frozzys ice cream from the visitor centre!
For eating options, the cafe serves warm food, ice cream and American style waffles which look amazing! There is plenty of pubs near by which we will be sure to try next time.
Dogs are allowed to be off lead on all the walking trails (aside from short sections), however just be aware that Kielder is a very popular with cyclists so watch out for them flying past!
Parking (Taken from VisitKielder.com)
Car parking at Kielder Water & Forest Park costs £5.00 for the day - car parking tickets are available at any of the visitor centre car parks and can be used at any of the car parks within the Park throughout that day. Alternatively, if you park for one hour or under, the charge is £2.00. Monies raised from car parking fees are vital to the upkeep of the facilities within the park, which include public toilets, play areas, visitor centres, the lakeside way, MTB trails, art works and many more.
Since reopening the Park with Covid regulations in place , the following car parks are now open: Hawkhope Kielder Dam South Abutment Tower Knowe Matthew’s Linn Bakethin Nature Reserve Kielder Castle Skyspace lower car park Elf Kirk Normal car parking charges apply.
All of these car parks, with the exception of Kielder Castle, Lower Skyspace and Elf Kirk, can be paid for in advance at www.bookwhen.com/car-parking and we urge anybody who is visiting to do so.
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