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About Kielder Observatory | Parking Location | OS Map | Current Weather
We had a devastatingly wet day while staying in Kielder. Rather than going for a huge walk and getting drowned, we decided to take a smaller walk up to the observatory, where we wanted to have a nose around. The whole walk took just over an hour, and the observatory proved very engaging.
Parking at the main car park, we headed off on the forest track. It is very wide, steady and the style of path doesn’t change much during the whole walk. There are a few bike sections away from the path, and it is tree lined the whole route. There is not much more to say about the path (it is even sign posted) but I thought it best to advise on the style of walking.
The last third of the walk is where most of the interesting bits are, as firstly you come to the “Sky space” and then onto the Observatory. The sky space is a hollow monument you can enter, where at night the opening in the roof has a view of the stars (on a cloudless day!). There are lights around it which slowly fade until dark. Once dark, it is pitch black outside so take a torch. In here you can see the amazing dark skies site through this sculpture. It was well maintained at the time we visited.
Once past the sky space, you are not too far from the observatory itself. Now it is nothing like you see at somewhere like Jodrell bank or on the TV. The large wooden rectangular building just settles into the landscape much more than expected, but that makes it even more interesting to explore. They were more than welcoming towards walkers wanting to look around, and although closed in the daytime, it was nice to get up close to the building. Additionally, the views off the wooden walkways are spectacular, even on a cloudy, wet day.
Once we had finished looking around, we headed back down the track, back to the car. It is an easy route, and on a dry and clear day, I could imagine the two of us spending more time exploring the woodlands. However, not today. We were already soaked though!
