We loved our night at the observatory. Unfortunately it was a very cloudy night so was a bit hit and miss, catching the stars through the telescopes. Staff were amazingly entertaining and their passion rubbed off on you by the end of the visit. Complimentary hot chocolate was welcomed towards to end, getting a bit of free time to ask questions and revisit sections of the observatory. The building itself was impressive with the manually rotating roof sections where the telescopes live. We went early June and very keen to go back on a clear night in peak winter season. Thanks for an amazing experience

Wonderful experience. We attended the 9m session on a wonderfully clear July night. The initial video presentation was astounding and truly opened our eyes on the sheer scale of the night sky. The subsequent opportunity to view the sky through the Observatory telescopes in the presence of experts was astounding. This was then followed by a great opportunity to chat with the team The sessions cannot fit in many visitors so it is important to book ahead. And do follow the detailed arrival instructions - the site is by its nature remote and off the beaten track

I had a wonderful experience here. It says something that after driving for 2h into dark skies and it ending up being a cloudy night, that I still wasnt disappointed and would absolutely do it again. The talks were so informative and engaging, super interesting. We saw and used the telescopes and were able to observe a star despite the clouds.

Really good, I would say excellent. The team who were at the top to meet us stay with us for the 3 hours of our tour were brilliant. The team were very knowledgeable in there subject, they were very helpful and super friendly. Unfortunately the weather wasn't helpful it was raining for the first two hours. But the last hours the stars appeared which was fantastic. The team explained so much. I would definitely recommend to go and see the stars. Don't forget it is weather permitting.

We had clear skies - result. We have been before although it was cloudy then. However, don't be dismayed as the team put on a brilliant, educational and interesting talk / slideshow to entertain you. Our last visit was clear skies and we had the opportunity to to look through both telescopes as well as sit outside in the moon chairs to gaze at the night sky. Team there were so enthusiastic, knowledgeable and able to make the subject approachable. Photos are from my iPhone 17 Pro Max, so no match for the telescopes, but gives you an idea. Being dark sky status the area is superb for star gazing be you just interested or a seasoned professional. The track up to the observatory is about 2 miles long, a little bumpy in places and can take a while at 10mph so bear that in mind with your arrival timing.

I visited the observatory on my birthday in March for one of their aurora watch evening events. I knew there was a *chance* of seeing the aurora borealis here (because of an 11 year peak, spring equinox and dark sky conditions) but I never dared hope I would get to see them on my actual birthday! We all filtered in to the lecture room and then within a couple of minutes of the introduction starting, a fellow staff member came rushing in to say it's happening, and then we all went outside and had at least 15mins of watching it live. Phone cameras pick up more than the naked eye, so it doesn't look as pretty as what my phone says, but that doesn't mean it's still not fascinating or exciting to be able to take slow exposure shots and see the results of what you've just captured! Once the excitement was over, and it had calmed down, back inside we went for some learning and then the big telescopes. Had an absolutely fantastic time. Can't recommend this facility enough. You need to do your research and book in advance, but if you do so you will have a wonderful time.

One of the best events I've ever been to, absolutely outstanding and we will definitely be returning for future events. Can't thank Adam, Dan and Gregoire enough, their enthusiasm was electric. Amazing!!!

What a wonderful place! There’s so much to do for all the family. On this trip I cycled The Lakeside Way, a 25 mile circular route which I left from Hawkhope Car Park. A fantastic route, tough in places but a great place to enjoy the scenery and the ride. Just beware of the midgies, I was covered in bites after the ride!

We had a great trip to Kielder Forest. The stick man trail was fun. It was quite a distance for wee legs and when you make it back to the car park, you're half way done. Pack juice and snacks as there are lots of seats and benches to relax.

Excellent gravel bike venue. Paths , lakeside facilities and forest gravel tracks are perfect for walkers and cyclists alike.

Great area with plenty of activities and amenities Very picturesque.

Been fishing kielder since 1984 had some brilliant days, seen a lot of changes, good place to visit forbike riding walks around the lake 26 miles around, beware of the midges

Went for the drive from a rainy Lake District, well worth the day out. Lovely track well worth the £5.00 Pretty smooth, didn't need 4x4

We hired bikes for 2 hours and cycled 45 minutes down the South lakeside route. Was beautiful but beware of the midgies!

"An incredible experience! Watching these majestic birds soar overhead or land gracefully on your hand is truly breathtaking. The staff are fantastic—friendly, knowledgeable, and always eager to share fascinating insights. Who knew vultures love a good sunbathing session? A must-visit for bird lovers!"

"A truly beautiful place for a holiday – perfect for those who enjoy active time outdoors. There are plenty of walking trails, bike rentals for specially prepared routes, and even opportunities for water activities. Great attractions for children and something for fishing enthusiasts as well. Highly recommended – the breathtaking views are unforgettable!"

4th visit to this wonderful place staff have plenty of time for you and will answer everything you ask of them, birds seem really well looked after and the flying displays are really good and you become part of the show. If you’re in the area or staying at kielder don’t pass by the chance to visit.

It was brillant it really was definitely recommend it to everyone. The man that you dealt with was lovely. You could come and go after you payed that day. They do show witch we did not say for wish I did now but anyway. We had a walk around the place and the bird were amazing they really are.

Fantastic afternoon visiting the birds of prey center, we watched both bird displays and loved both of them, the bird handling skills were amazing, everyone was given a chance to receive an owl. A fantastic display with plenty of information about each bird or owl.

Small but fantastic centre. Definitely recommend going to both shows now they are back on for the season. They fly different birds so it's definitely worth going to both shows. Staff were excellent and happy to chat, both very knowledgeable and gave everyone got a chance to have the birds land and take off from their hand as there wasn't too many people there. £25 for a family ticket is easily worth the price. Spent £20 in the shop just to help out. We all loved it, shame so many trees have been cut down as a couple birds were a bit nervous due to how it is so windy now.

When we first arrived, we almost expected to be in and out within 30 minutes or so as its quite small...but we were so wrong! We really enjoyed looking around the enclosures, the info signs letting you know the birds name and information on where they woukd be in the wild, what they eat and some other facts was great. We were just on the last bird, when Shane (one of the workers) came out with a tiny owl and asked if we would like to meet her. He gave us lots of information and let us stroke her. We ended up thinking we should do one more lap, and Ben (the other worker that day) joined us in one section and was giving us some more personalised information about the birds personalities (some was really funny - I hope Barry and Shane are still happy together!). We enjoyed it so much, we decided to pop out for an ice-cream by the water side and then come back for one of the flying demonstrations- because once you have paid you can come and go as you please which was great! The show was fantastic and interactive and everyone had a chance to have a birds land on a glove which was great! Not only that but the commentary was both really informative and hilarious in parts. We really felt like we learned a few things, but had such a good time along the way. What you guys do to protect the birds is fantastic, but your passion for the birds there really shines in all you did. Honestly, well done both Ben and Shane. We would definitely return and recommend!

Well staffed with loads of activities. We came for the morning just to do some activities with the kids. The booking system could be better as it relies on your smartphone having a signal (which ours didn’t, on EE) but we booked the mini Segway’s and kids target sports (axe throwing, archery, crossbows) and they had a great time.

We visited this place for a walk, we parked our car in the parking and went for beautiful 4hour walk around the lake.

A very enjoyable stay. Super friendly and helpful staff across the entire park. Great dark sky at night. Very pet friendly throughout. Dogs (on lead) are even allowed in the restaurant, they waited on our dog by bringing him water and a small bag of treats while we ate! Plenty of really good activities you can book on at an extra charge. We really enjoyed the archery.

It needs more than 5 stars. Cosy and spacious lodge, great facilities, fantastic staff. We stayed in November with a preschooler and a dog. Lots of time in the playgrounds, soft play, and pool as well as wandering around the lakeside and enjoying the trees. Love that there's a dedicated room in the bar which has soft play and tables, although it's slightly restricting that dogs can't also be in that specific room. The chalet was brilliant. Worth noting that there was no WiFi in the chalet itself, which was fine for us. Staff were always nearby and helpful. My partner had a nasty and unlucky slip which they were so helpful with; getting her back to reception, supplying first aid, and checking up on us later. On the last day the elderly car battery gave up and they; opened up soft play especially for little person and wounded wife, got us a coffee, and arranged a jump start. I haven't even mentioned the woodland walks and minotaur maze in Kielder, or the on-site birds of prey centre (again with fantastic staff), or all the things we didn't get to. Can't wait to go back.

Thoroughly enjoyed my time here. Beautiful cabins in a stunning setting. All the staff were friendly and very helpful. Lou and Josh in particular bent over backwards to make our stay incredible. Just take some protection against midges 😁

Had a fantastic week away at Landal Kielder Waterside! The weather was terrible, but the lodge, site and staff were all fantastic. The lodge we stayed in was spotlessly clean and very pleasant, only complaint would be the bed was rather firm (but that's personal preference). Shout out to Martin at the bike place for his help and advise, and to Sophie who very ably guided two novice tomahawk throwers into actually hitting the target! And for me, the jewel in the crown was the restaurant. Genuinely fabulous food on three different occasions with welcoming, friendly and helpful staff. Superb.

We had a lovely week's holiday here in a lodge with hot tub. The lodge was great, very nicely furnished and comfortable. The hot tub was a real treat. The staff were helpful and friendly. The activities were good but the booking process was a bit long winded. The on site restaurant was a bit of a let down. Service was very slow each time we ate there and lots of things on the short menu seemed to be unavailable. The food choice was limited and mostly unhealthy. The standard was average. I think they are struggling for staff though.

Great experience here: Bought a couple of emergency bike pumps for £10 each. Gent there let us use his psi pump and literally recommended a tyre pressure based on our bikes and the route we were doing. Very knowledgeable team and sounds like they have a fleet of about 40+ rental bikes

I brought a friend from New Zealand across to Kielder and we hired a hard tail ebike for him. It was a current year Trek ebike which was well maintained. Really good spec, a dropper seat post and an intelligent computer. We started at 11 and did the full lakeside way and Lonesome Pine trail before returning the bike before 5pm. We were served by Niv who was super friendly, very helpful and very knowledgeable about the trails. I don't mind paying a slightly higher hire price when you're getting a top end, current year ebike with brilliant range. Cheers for making a Kiwi have a great day out in Northumberland!

Hired a standard mountain bike here which was fine and did the job. Helmets are free with bike hire and they offer hire for a range of time periods to suit you. The track around the reservoir is good and we our children were able to manage the undulating terrain of the south shore trail without too much difficulty. Price was fair, staff member was business-like rather than particularly welcoming but got us sorted.

Myself and my husband hired 2 e-bikes to cycle around Kielder. What a fab experience we absolutely loved it and cannot wait to return for another cycle adventure! Thankyou

Hired a full suspension e bike for me and the mrs a ebike for the trail around keilder resivour. Absolutely loved it . Ickle bit pricey , could have had some kinda deals on for multi hire . Bikes could do with a little maintenance between hires , as we found the chains dry and crunchy gears , and the worn brake pad squeel ... kinda dampened the experience but enjoyed the veiws around the trail..

We were staying at Wild Northumbrian in Thorneyburn and The Bike Place happily dropped our bikes for us and also collected them the following day. The price was fair and the service received was excellent. The bikes were amazing too, some really good DiamondBacks for only £25 a day. We spoke to the guy who dropped the bikes off and he was really friendly and advised us of some trails we could go on - and we did and love it. Would definitely recommend The Bike Place!

Great location fantastic selection of Cycles.We hire two e bikes perfect for a full kielder water route.

This is a decent car park with toilets and a café. It's pay-and-display (£5 all day for a car at the time of writing). It was quite busy when we visited on a sunny summer Sunday. There are good walking routes and a great cycle trail to get around the reservoir.

Good large car park and overnight stay for Campervans permissible for £15 between 21:00-09:00. Toilets are left open and accessible from car park on foot, well maintained but using for grey/waste water disposal is not permitted which lets it down when they know campers are around. Beautiful drive to the car park and in a dark sky area, excellent for star gazing and watching!

Stayed two nights in camper van. Beautiful clear night skies. Forest hikes. So much to do here. Loos open 24 hours and spotless. Bike hire and trails through forest. Felt very safe staying here so would recommend for solo van travellers.

Went for a walk to Kielder Forest. Would have stayed longer if my dogs lead didn't break. Note to self take a spare lead.

It's a great place for walks and to see the castle. Great big car park(not free). We had a free parking pass due to staying at Kieldar waterside park. We found a Gruffolo trail, which children loved. There is also approximately 3 mile trail to the Scottish border. There are picnic tables and grill areas.

Go to the car park at 8am on a Sunday and the car park was completely empty, got back at 12ish and car park was about half full. Not bad considering how popular kielder is. Car park prices were fair, £5 for the whole day is decent considering how much there is to see and walk. Car park leads to lots of different walking routes and there are maps that give you a guide to where about you should go. It's a good idea to take a pictures of the maps since there is very little connectivity so Google maps might not work for you. Overall a really nice car park and offeres alot of exploration!

Fantastic place to visit with are without children,went for a lovely walk with dogs seen some amazing views , people are so friendly and very welcoming there is so much you can do here, we had our dogs with us 2 German Shepard's and a Greyhound. We had lovely food at Dukes Dinner very friendly staff and also give the dogs a few sausages which they really enjoyed so thank you!

A great little 10 mins fun for the kids. This maze gave the kids something so enjoy in amongst forest walks etc

Free fun filled 20 mins before our walk with kids

Not much to this really! I guess if you have young kids it would be more fun chasing around inside the maze, but it's quite small with very little sense of payoff. Definitely more art than fun!

Nice little place to go for a walk with a maze for the kids to play and run around in

Great piece of art combined with a little activity!

Your'e not going to get lost in here but it's great fun for the kids and free to use, a nice addition to the whole Kielder experience.

Nice walks around woods and river and cafe inside castle is reasonably priced. Minotaur maze is smaller than expected, but it's fun and free

Friendly and interesting - made in keilder make and sell bowls, spoons and similar wooden utensils that are generally carved or made on a lathe. Ralf is warm and friendly to speak to and really interested in his craft. As well as making and seeing wooden items he also runs courses on making them- that I hope to be able to attend in the future though its going to be hard to find the tine this year... Love the bowls I bought - they feel so good in the hand! Check out his web site and pay a visit! Photgraphed are our new bowls and woodlen spoons for breakfast camping...

Called in today on a day trip to Kielder, met Ralph the owner, he was very nice and took the time to show me the traditional method he uses for making his products, baught a lovely hand crafted love heart which he engraved for free, £4.50, ridiculous for a wonderful piece of work, judge for yourself, well worth a visit even for a small memento for a loved one

Went last winter, was cold but very enjoyable experience. Going back next month. Staff are very friendly and would recommend this place to anyone

Fantastic site for our Scout summer camp. Beautiful pitch by the lake. Lots of firewood. Brilliant staff -- nothing was too much trouble. Great instructors for sailing, climbing, abseiling and archery. Midges bearable by Scottish standards. A bit wet, but that's hardly their fault. Definitely recommend.

Great site with a vast woodland available for wide games or leisurely walks. Facilities available include a dining hall, residential lodge, activity barn, toilets, shop and many outdoor activities. Whether it may be a scout camp or an away day, Hawkhirst is a great site beside the scenic Kielder Water.

Simply put it wad amazing. The staff a re a real credit to the place

Took the scouts for a weekend to winter camp here. Was absolutely amazing. So so many activities for the children. We loved it.

Fantastic stay with year 6. The food was amazing, and the activities were fun and challenging with knowledgeable and professional instructors (who knew how to have a laugh!). Will be back next year!

Always have an awesome time when we are here. Staff are excellent and great with the Young People. Food is excellent. Range of activities is great!