Wildlife at Kielder

 

Mammals: A key species in Kielder Forest is the Red Squirrel, as Kielder is truly one of its largest remaining strongholds in the country.
With over 600km of waterways in the forest, not to mention Kielder Water reservoir at its centre, otters are today a more common (if secretive)inhabitant. With a helping hand to ensure suitable habitats on the river and reservoir banks, there are now signs that Otters are using all the major waterways in the area.
Roe Deer also abound in Kielder Forest. To catch a glimpse of these shy creatures, why not come along on one of our Deer Watch events, led by our own expert staff.
The forest bat population is carefully monitored and surveyed to ensure the populations of Kielder's six species remains healthy. We have information about Red squirrel, Roe deer and Otter

Birds: The Goshawk is becoming a familiar sight in Kielder Forest these days as the amount of mature forest increases so the Goshawk feels more at home here!
Kielder is getting a reputation amongst bird watchers as an excellent raptor-spotting venue. Set your scope up at Bakethin Raptor Viewpoint and see what passes overhead.
Among other species sighted in and around the forest are siskin, crossbill, kestrel, buzzard, tawny owl, barn owl and song thrush. Interestingly, there are more song thrush in Kielder than the rest of Northumberland put together. This makes Kielder Forest THE place for the dawn chorus!

Insects and reptiles: Adders are Kielder's only true snake as slow worms are technically legless lizards!
You may see adders curled up enjoying the warmth of a sunny day. Enjoy the sight of them as they are magnificent reptiles but do not disturb them or get too close. We have information about Adder

Habitats: There are 9 Sites of Special Scientific Interest covering some 7,500 hectares. This is 4% of the total SSSI area in England. These sites include ancient woodland, fossil trees, geological sites, moorlands and our extensive Border Mire peat bogs. These bogs some of the most extensive in Europe and are of international significance. To help restore the bogs, trees which have been planted on them are being removed and ditches that have been cut to drain the bogs to allow the trees to grow have been blocked (see 'Whats of Interest' in the right hand column for video of the tree clearance). Access to part of the mires has been improved by the completion of the Bellcrag boardwalk. This timber walkway surrounds one of the best ponds for dragonflies in Northumberland and links into the Pennine Way. We have information about Upland bog

How to Get There:
From the nearby villages of Bellingham and Newcastleton follow signs to Kielder Water and Forest Park which will take you onto the C200 - the road which runs adjacent to the southern shore of Kielder Water.
Access to the forest can be gained from a number of points along the C200, alternatively continue to Kielder Castle Forest Park Centre at the northern end of Kielder Water.
By Public Transport
Reaching Kielder Castle by public transport is not straightforward. The only daily direct service is by Postbus from Hexham (via Bellingham).
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.

View the map (Multimap)
Local Weather Forecast (Multimap)

Places to go in Kielder
Kielder

Activities:

Other places to go in this area
Hamsterley
Chopwell Woodland Park

Contact
Kielder Castle

01434 250209
e-mail: kieldercastle@forestry.gsi.gov.uk