Category: Visit

Here at the Calvert Trust Kielder we’re very excited about a new addition to our site…

Just take a look at the fabulous photos of the Bradbury Chalet, our newest luxury accessible accommodation.

Luxurious living inside the Bradbury Chalet

Luxurious living inside the Bradbury Chalet

 

 

The Bradbury Foundation, who have supported Calvert Trust over many years, have once again provided the funds to help us build the second of five planned luxury accessible chalets.

 

 

 

Soak in style

Soak in style

 

 

 

As fantastic as the brilliant Straker Chalet, if you book now you can experience for yourself the steam/shower room, or soak in the spa bath while watching your favourite soap on the in-wall bathroom TV.

 

 

Beautiful outdoor area of the Bradbury Chalet

Beautiful outdoor area of the Bradbury Chalet

 

 

Enjoy the panoramic views of Kielder Water & Forest Park from the Jacuzzi on the terrace through the day, and the darkest skies in England at night.

 

 

 

A culinary haven

A culinary haven

 

 

If cooking is your favourite thing, the fully equipped kitchen has everything you could want, from individual lemon squeezers to a fish kettle!

 

 

 

The Bradbury chalet bedroom

The Bradbury chalet bedroom

 

 

The master bedroom has a hoist discreetly housed above the bed and the family bathroom has a door that opens in and out for easier access.

 

 

 

 

 

For the fourth consecutive year now, we’ve welcomed hundreds of young people during July and will continue to do so throughout August for a residential stay as part of their ‘Personal Challenge – Get Active’, ran by the National Citizen Service (www.the-challenge.org).

The National Citizen Service (NCS) is a government-backed programme which brings together young people from diverse backgrounds, providing them with strong skills for life, work, and adulthood.

As part of their intensive, part-residential programme, the ‘NCS Personal Challenge – Get Active’ encourages participants to face their fears, develop confidence and bond with team mates…

…and that’s where canoes come in. If you see a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds having a whale of a time on Kielder Water, supervised of course by our fantastic activities staff, you’ll be witnessing a first for many of them.

The teens enjoying themselves on Kielder Water

The teens enjoying themselves on Kielder Water

The teenagers are mostly from London and the Midlands and have little or no experience of the wonderful environment that Northumberland has to offer.

We’re sure that the beauty of Kielder and their experiences while in the Park, will help them to face their fears, develop confidence and bond with team mates.

So it’s back to Kielder with renewed vigour after a fabulous Christmas break. I do mean Kielder – first day back after New Year and I spent 5 hours in Kielder School while the children and teachers were on a training day.

Historical Kielder Viaduct 2Jo, Julie, Liz, David, Debs and I were hosting a free scanning and heritage story sharing afternoon on the Kielder Viaduct Heritage Project, which is part funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. David busily scanned an old map of the area pre-Kielder Water, while we talked and captured the stories of villagers about their experiences of the village, railway and viaduct. I even met the man who lives in the former Deadwater Station where the old railway line used to pass through on its way to Riccarton Junction. Tales of coal being passed to the children waiting along the track as the train passed through the valley brought a smile to my face.

We then planned what to do with all of the material we have collected over the period of the project – website links and on-line stories to listen to, plus a possible talking bench and boards, all of course on the Lakeside Way which goes across the viaduct.
                

22. The iconic shot of the first ever Kielder Marathon 2010Later that evening I met up with the Kielder Parish Council to give them my six monthly update and discuss any plans or events happening in Kielder Water & Forest Park which they might want to work alongside, such as the Kielder Marathon. New events this year include the Kielder Ultra in April and the Kielder Triathlon in July of Iron standard.                                         

 

 

Star Trails over Kielder ObservatoryIt’s been a busy week for Dark Skies too. Since securing the International Dark Sky Park Status before Christmas, I have been refining the next steps in our dark skies adventure.

The Kielder Observatory goes from strength to strength with events to March fully booked. So with a possible grant from the Rural Development Programme for England, a group of us are working with local communities to develop Dark Sky Discovery Sites.

These would be dotted about Kielder Water & Forest Park where visitors can get out on a clear night from their B&B, cottage or shepherd hut to see the stars with some information boards and leaflets to help. They may be a local event with a trained astronomer to help point the way with some binoculars and telescopes to hand. Then back to the hot choccy and wood burner to warm up again.

 

To see Jupiter, Saturn’s rings or the newest and oldest stars in the universe, a trip to the fabulous Kielder Observatory is a must. Gary’s been updating me on their plans to make it a 7 day a week place – but more of that to follow.

Following last weeks BBC Stargazing Live, the evening’s entertainment involved watching Dara and Brian and then tweeting with the rest of the fans just reminding them how great Kielder and the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park really is.

 

Elisabeth Rowark
Director of Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust

Badger in gardenNow then, the subject of badgers, for a few people, is a hot topic. And it is for me too…cos I’ve got loads of them! Not as pets, my adopted badgers are still as wild as can be, but I’m lucky enough to get close to these magnificent beasts on a regular basis. ‘Meles Meles’ or ‘Auld Brockie’  as I like to call them, have a reputation for being vicious little tinkers. If you show yourself to my Brockies all you see is a herd of badger bums legging it the opposite way. Now if you were to corner the animal, that’s another thing. There have been occasions when I’ve seen a fox and a Brock competing for the same food, the fox is shooed away by a nonplussed, but very determined badger. In my mind Brockie is tenaciously robust. (more…)

elf-kirk-viewRejoice! Kielder has had a summer. Surely you remember what one of those was like? My parents told me we used to have them on an annual basis.

With temperatures soaring and minimal rain there has been evidence of cheeky little devils leaving washing on the line….overnight. Apart from the 22nd of July, where we had the most impressive thunderstorm with horizontal rain, sheeting rain and more rain. I just had to stand out in it and have a bit of a cool down. The air was cleared and hey presto, just like magic it was dry by morning for another sunny day

The sun has been perfect for the summer holidays. The pleasant days have brought striking views, with glorious sunrises and sunsets. You’ll know if the odds are high for the sun to be around in Kielder as the symphony of our fleet of lawnmowers will be heard for most of the day. And if it’s a bit overcast, then it’ll be chainsaws and the thump of log-splitters you’ll be hearing. (more…)

The unknown noise started quite early in the morning…
It was faint at first. You could hear something, prick up your ears; only to hear silence again.

We live in the most tranquil place in England. That’s the claim…and I tend to agree. Kielder in the evenings and mornings is silent! There can be a debate the next day about the car that drove through the village in the early hours, it’s that peaceful.

So to be woken by a ‘noise’ on a Sunday morning at six o’clock is worth a neb. (more…)