Item 10: Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Item 10: Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust Item 10: Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust - Report on First Year’s Membership Item 10 : KIELDER WATER & FOREST PARK DEVELOPMENT TRUST – REPORT ON FIRST YEAR’S MEMBERSHIP Purpose of Report a. To update members on the Authority’s membership of the Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust (KWFPDT) and related achievements. 2. Recommendations a. Members are asked to note the achievements through the Authority’s involvement in the KWFPDT and endorse the Authority’s ongoing membership of the partnership. 3. Implications a. Financial There are no additional financial implications. The Authority previously agreed an annual partnership contribution of £10,000, which is allowed for in the medium term financial plan. b. Equalities None 4. Background a. In September 2016 the Authority agreed to accept the invitation to become a member of the KWFPDT. This followed a period of close partnership working through the International Dark Sky Park and opportunities emerging through The Sill and the Border Uplands Demonstrator Initiative (BUDI). 5. Progress In August 2017, Tony Gates and John Riddle took up roles as Directors of KWFPDT on behalf of NNPA. This report covers activity over the past year. KWFPDT has had a successful and productive year, welcoming approximately 410,000 visitors to the Park as a whole and generating in the region of £24million for the wider local economy, including the North Tyne and Redesdale. Wildlife Tourism a) Living Wild at Kielder In October the Trust secured a £336,300 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards a £½million two year partnership project to animate Kielder Water & Forest Park’s amazing wildlife for visitors and residents, helping them enjoy, learn, share and immerse themselves in nature. ‘Living Wild at Kielder’ is being delivered with the support of a number of partners, including the National Park Authority. Enhancements are being made to trails and interpretation (both digital and physical). Wildlife trails from Stonehaugh, Greenhaugh and Falstone are being created or enhanced with local community involvement and support from NNPA. Northumberland National Park Authority Meeting 20 September 2017 Item 10: Page 1 of 4 Item 10: Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust - Report on First Year’s Membership An events and activity programme is being delivered in conjunction with local businesses. This has included the first Wild at Kielder Festival, on 13th/14th May, attended by over 1500 people. Over 30 wildlife related activities took place across eight sites in the Kielder area. Osprey Watch has been extended and enhanced and visitor numbers have doubled this year. The activity programme is being closely co-ordinated with The Sill activity programme. In partnership with Newcastle University School of Architecture, a new hide has been created at Bakethin Nature Reserve. The hide has been designed and constructed by MArch students, providing them with practical experience along with valuable communication, negotiation and presentation skills. The project will have a lasting legacy thanks to the recruitment of volunteers and Wildlife Ambassadors to help reconnect people with nature, building on a key objective of The Sill. Businesses, front-line staff and members of local communities in and around Kielder Water & Forest Park will be offered training/briefing appropriate to their needs to enable them to promote KWFP’s wildlife offer and signpost visitors to new experiences. Staff at KWFPDT are working with NNPA staff to link this to The Sill activity programme and to share learning and best practice. b) Restoring Ratty 570 water voles have been released in Kielder Forest in an initiative led by Trust partners, aiming to reintroduce water voles to Kielder after a 30 year absence. This 5 year HLF funded project is the largest water vole reintroduction to one place ever undertaken in the UK. The initial releases have generated a significant amount of regional and national media coverage, raising the profile of the area. c) Kielderhead Wildwood Trust partners have completed the development phase of a project to bring back Scots pine and native woodland along the Scaup Burn at Kielderhead, stretching up to Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Whitelee reserve and on towards the Scottish border. As well as restoring a truly representative and more complete upland ecosystem, if it receives funding, the project will give members of the public and volunteers many opportunities to learn about the natural, social and cultural heritage of the area. Art & Architecture Rochester Roundhouse, one of the projects that the Trust has undertaken jointly with Newcastle University and the local community, was launched at Redefest in 2016. It was designed and constructed by MArch students with the full involvement of the local community and is now being used for stargazing, musical performances and a range of community workshops. It has been awarded Highly Commended by the RIBA Journal in its MacEwen Award celebration of “Architecture for the Common Good”. The Trust secured £49,300 from Arts Council England to deliver a programme of activities which is: Exploring new ways for audiences, partners and stakeholders to think about, experience and engage with high quality art and architecture in Kielder’s unique environment, Building on Kielder Water & Forest Park’s success as an award-winning cultural destination by enhancing existing assets and creating new artworks to inspire and delight audiences, and Providing practical opportunities for creative learning, skills development and engagement with children and young people. Northumberland National Park Authority Meeting 20 September 2017 Item 10: Page 2 of 4 Item 10: Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust - Report on First Year’s Membership This programme is now well underway with a number of commissions due for completion from September through to March. Revitalising Redesdale The Trust has been involved in working with the Authority and its partners in the Revitalising Redesdale Landscape Partnership bid, which has just been submitted to HLF, as well as a proposal to create a shelter/vantage point at Blakehope Nick, halfway between Kielder Castle and Byrness, on the Forest Drive. The bid contains many projects which will directly benefit the National Park. Marketing The Trust has achieved excellent results in its marketing activities, with the advertising value of PR coverage reaching £8million in 2016/17, an increase of 16% on the previous year. Our digital profile continues to grow with the number of visits to the Visit Kielder website growing by 15% to 406,000 in 2016/17. Over the same period the number of unique users rose by 17% to 306,000. In early April Facebook ‘likes’ hit 30,000 for the first time and Twitter followers continue to increase. The Trust has participated in Northumberland Tourism’s marketing campaigns and had promotional stands, alongside the Northumberland National Park, at the Blyth Tall Ships Regatta and the Northumberland County Show. A visitor survey is currently underway to learn more about our visitors, including their characteristics, spending, reasons for visiting, activities undertaken and levels of satisfaction. The results are shared with partners, including NNPA, to inform future marketing and development activities for the area. Dark Skies This has been the area of greatest collaboration between KWFPDT and the Authority in the past, and was the driver for the Authority’s membership of KWFPDT. Work has started on the expansion of facilities at Kielder Observatory with funding from HLF, Leader and other sources. This includes the construction of a new fully accessible observatory with an automated telescope with retractable roof, as well as a presentation room, kitchen and toilet facilities. In addition there will be an accessible decked external observation area. The Trust Director chairs the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park Steering Group, of which the NNPA is a proactive member. Research is being commissioned to measure the economic impact of Dark Skies tourism within the Dark Sky Park and wider Northumberland, to help justify the case for further investment within the Dark Sky Park and beyond. Investment and development A new events car park has been constructed opposite Kielder Waterside. This will enable Kielder Water & Forest Park to attract a greater number of high profile, large scale events in the future. It was used as part of the Tour Of Britain celebrations from 2nd - 4th September and assists in the delivery of existing signature events such as the Kielder Marathon and Winter wonderland, which help to raise the area’s profile and reduce seasonality. The Trust is an active partner in key NNPA partnerships such as the Border Uplands Demonstrator Initiative and the National Park Management Plan Partnership. Northumberland National Park Authority Meeting 20 September 2017 Item 10: Page 3 of 4 Item 10: Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust - Report on First Year’s Membership Business development The Trust helps to support business development, both through projects such as Living Wild and by hosting a twice yearly Business Forum for businesses in North Tyne and Redesdale area. The most recent meeting was held at Woodhill Hall near Otterburn. 6. Conclusion KWFPDT continues to be an important partner of NNPA. Much has been achieved in the first year and many opportunities for closer working still remain to be exploited. For this reason the Authority should remain an active and involved member of KWFPDT. Contact Officer: For further information contact Tony Gates, Chief Executive, 01434 611514 or e-mail: [email protected] Background papers None Northumberland National Park Authority Meeting 20 September 2017 Item 10: Page 4 of 4 .
Recommended publications
  • Lower Chesters
    Only 3 homes remaining 4 beds from £475,000 Lower Chesters Five stunning family homes in Lower Chollerford, settled on the edge of Chesters the North Tyne at the gateway to Hadrian’s Wall in the heart of rural Northumberland. Lower Chesters Five beautiful homes where rural character meets contemporary design, offering the perfect family living space. Hadrian’s Wall Chesters Roman Fort Lower Chesters is ideally situated for those who want to take advantage of all that rural Northumberland has to offer, with world-class salmon and trout fishing on the River Tyne and many local walks, climbs and cycling routes nearby. Newcastle upon Tyne is easily reached within half an hour by car or forty minutes by train from Hexham, offering a plethora of bars and restaurants, art galleries, museums and high-street shops. At Dockleaf Developments, we are delighted to be building Lower Chesters in Chollerford, near Hexham. Lower Chesters is an exciting new Immediately to the west of Lower The pretty town of Hexham, a development surrounded by rolling Chesters you will find Chesters past winner of the Country Life fields, nestled in the Northumbrian Roman Fort, an English Heritage annual award for “best market town Chesters Bridge, Chollerford countryside, half a mile from the site and one of the Roman Empire’s in England and Wales” is only ten charming village of Humshaugh. most northern outposts, featuring minutes by car (five miles) whilst The Crown Inn, Humshaugh a spectacular Roman Bathhouse. the historic village of Corbridge, Humshaugh has all the amenities Chesters House, an outstanding renowned for its award-winning, you need to settle yourself into Grade II listed stately home is also independently owned, boutique shops, rural life including a primary school, nearby.
    [Show full text]
  • LIVING WILD at KIELDER Celebrating Our Achievements
    LIVING WILD AT KIELDER Celebrating our achievements HeritageFund_Logo.eps.pdf 1 04/06/2019 09:49 C M Y CM MY CY LIVING WILD ACHIEVEMENTS 1 CMY K INTRODUCTION ENHANCING THE WILDLIFE OFFER ‘Living Wild at Kielder’ was created to celebrate Kielder Water & Forest Park’s amazing wildlife, giving visitors and local stakeholders opportunities to enjoy, learn, share The project has created new and enhanced attractions, trails and facilities for visitors: and immerse themselves in nature. Tower Knowe exhibition The project’s aims were to: A new wildlife themed exhibition was created at Tower Knowe exhibition incorporating interactive elements, films and attractive interpretation panels. This £½ million project was made possible by National Lottery players and a £336,300 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund). It is a partnership project delivered by Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust, Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Northumbrian Water, Forestry England and the Environment Agency, with support from Newcastle University, Northumberland National Park Authority and The Bartlett School of Architecture. Bakethin Nature Reserve A new hide and visitor welcome point were created at Bakethin Nature Reserve, designed and HEADLINE RESULTS built by Newcastle University architecture students. Bakethin Hide comprises two spacious, timber-built, hexagonal pods, which are fully accessible and feature information on the birds • Over 19,000 people have learnt about Kielder’s natural heritage through face to and animals that are likely to be seen throughout the year. face engagement • At least 28,000 visitors have developed a greater understanding about Kielder’s natural heritage through active engagement with nature • More than 110,000 visitors have developed a greater awareness about Kielder’s wildlife through digital or physical interpretation or face-to-face engagement • 125 volunteers have been involved in the project The students gained great value from being involved in the project: “I set my heart on doing this module.
    [Show full text]
  • Kielder Reservoir, Northumberland
    Rainwise Working with communities to manage rainwater Kielder Reservoir, Northumberland Kielder Water is the largest man-made lake in northern Europe and is capable of holding 200 billion litres of water, it is located on the River North Tyne in North West Northumberland. Figure 1: Location of Kielder Figure 2: Kielder Area Figure 3: Kielder Water The Kielder Water Scheme was to provide additional flood storage capacity at Kielder Reservoir. At the same time the Environment Agency completed in 1982 and was one of the (EA) were keen to pursue the idea of variable releases largest and most forward looking projects to the river and the hydropower operator at Kielder of its time. It was the first example in (Innogy) wished to review operations in order to maximum generation ahead of plans to refurbish the main turbine the UK of a regional water grid, it was in 2017. designed to meet the demands of the north east well into the future. The scheme CHALLENGES is a regional transfer system designed to Kielder reservoir has many important roles including river allow water from Kielder Reservoir to be regulation for water supply, hydropower generation and released into the Rivers Tyne, Derwent, as a tourist attraction. As such any amendments to the operation of the reservoir could not impact on Kielder’s Wear and Tees. This water is used to ability to support these activities. Operating the reservoir maintain minimum flow levels at times of at 85 percent of its capacity would make up to 30 billion low natural rainfall and allows additional litres of storage available.
    [Show full text]
  • Travelling Tales Explore Kielder Forest Drive
    Travelling Tales explore Kielder Forest Drive Welcome to England’s longest Use this guide to help you Please return this guide to and highest Forest Drive, which discover the secrets of our one of the toll points winds through the working forest wild border country. What at either end of the Forest will you see here today? Drive when you leave. West North East between Kielder Castle and To Kielder Water & To Scotland To Redesdale Forest Park and the Blakehopeburnhaugh on the A68. Cheviot Hills Blakehope Nick and The Nick shelter 457m above sea level Mid-point of the Forest Drive. Top of the watershed between the North Tyne and Rede river valleys. The burns Spot rocky ridges and old Watch for the white rumps flowing west feed into Kielder Water. quarries. The sandstone Height of roe deer, or glimpse was used for building. our secretive feral goats. 500m Look out for red squirrels Stroll to the wildlife and listen for the cat-like hide above Kielder call of buzzards overhead. 400m Burn, or enjoy upland meadows and a picnic near East Kielder. Blakehopeburnhaugh Waterfall trail Spot a circular stone ‘stell’ 300m for holding sheep. This area was farmed before The weather can be wild up Kielder Forest was planted. here, so the Forest Drive closes over the winter. 200m 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kielder Forest Drive 12 miles (20km) Forest Drive only open seasonally. Please check forestryengland.uk for details. Connecting communities Kielder Forest Drive opened in 1973. It was built by Forestry Kielder Castle England for planting and harvesting trees high on these hills.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparison and Validation of Three Versions of a Forest Wind Risk Model
    Environmental Modelling & Software 68 (2015) 27e41 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Environmental Modelling & Software journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/envsoft Comparison and validation of three versions of a forest wind risk model * Sophie A. Hale a, Barry Gardiner a, b, c, , Andrew Peace a, Bruce Nicoll a, Philip Taylor a, d, Stefania Pizzirani a, e a Forest Research, Northern Research Station, Roslin, EH25 9SY, Scotland, UK b INRA, UMR 1391 ISPA, F-33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France c Bordeaux Sciences Agro, UMR 1391 ISPA, F-33170, Gradignan, France d Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, Scotland, UK e Scion, Te Papa Tipu Innovation Park, 49 Sala Street, Rotorua 3010, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand article info abstract Article history: Predicting the probability of wind damage in both natural and managed forests is important for un- Received 14 July 2014 derstanding forest ecosystem functioning, the environmental impact of storms and for forest risk Received in revised form management. We undertook a thorough validation of three versions of the hybrid-mechanistic wind risk 24 January 2015 model, ForestGALES, and a statistical logistic regression model, against observed damage in a Scottish Accepted 26 January 2015 upland conifer forest following a major storm. Statistical analysis demonstrated that increasing tree Available online height and local wind speed during the storm were the main factors associated with increased damage This paper is dedicated to the memory of levels. All models provided acceptable discrimination between damaged and undamaged forest stands Mike Raupach whose work on aerodynamic but there were trade-offs between the accuracy of the mechanistic models and model bias.
    [Show full text]
  • Convery, Ian, Smith, Darrell, Brady, Deborah, Hawkins, Sally, Mayhew
    Convery, Ian, Smith, Darrell, Brady, Deborah, Hawkins, Sally, Mayhew, Michael, van Maanen, Erwin, Iversen, Sara, White, Chris, Eagle, Adam and Lipscombe, Steve (2017) Community consultation report: Kielder. (Unpublished) Downloaded from: http://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/3802/ Usage of any items from the University of Cumbria’s institutional repository ‘Insight’ must conform to the following fair usage guidelines. Any item and its associated metadata held in the University of Cumbria’s institutional repository Insight (unless stated otherwise on the metadata record) may be copied, displayed or performed, and stored in line with the JISC fair dealing guidelines (available here) for educational and not-for-profit activities provided that • the authors, title and full bibliographic details of the item are cited clearly when any part of the work is referred to verbally or in the written form • a hyperlink/URL to the original Insight record of that item is included in any citations of the work • the content is not changed in any way • all files required for usage of the item are kept together with the main item file. You may not • sell any part of an item • refer to any part of an item without citation • amend any item or contextualise it in a way that will impugn the creator’s reputation • remove or alter the copyright statement on an item. The full policy can be found here. Alternatively contact the University of Cumbria Repository Editor by emailing [email protected]. Centre for National Parks & Protected Areas Community Consultation Report: Kielder1 Date Issued: Contact Details: [email protected] 1 Suggested citation: Convery I, Smith D, Brady D, Hawkins S, Mayhew M, van Maanen, E., Iversen, S., White, C., Eagle, A.
    [Show full text]
  • Town/Village Location Glass Bottles & Jars Mixed Textiles & Clothes
    Your local recycling points in West Northumberland This table also includes the Household Waste Recovery Centres in your area, where many more materials can also be recycled. Please find out further details about these centres at www.northumberland.gov.uk/waste Town/Village Location Glass Bottles & Jars Mixed Textiles & Clothes Books & Media Tetra Paks & Cartons Village Hall Car Park, Millersfield, Acomb Acomb, NE46 4RQ Allendale Household Waste Allendale Recovery Centre, Shilburn Road, NE47 9LG Bardon Mill Near War Memorial, NE47 7HZ Barrasford Caravan Park Site, NE48 Barrasford Park 4BE Bellingham Heritage Centre, NE48 2DF Blanchland Village Car Park, DH8 9SP Caravan Park, Rear of Blenkinsopp Blenkinsopp Castle, CA8 7JS Byrness Village Car Park, NE19 1TS Byrness Parking area adjacent to A68 Colwell Village Hall, NE46 4TL Village Car Park, South of bridge, Corbridge NE45 5AR Corstopitum Social Club Car Park, Corbridge St Helens Street, NE45 5BE Layby adjacent to the cemetery at Falstone Falstone, NE48 1AA Fourstones Service Station, NE47 5DQ Gilsland Layby Opps Station Hotel, CA8 7DS Gunnerton West Crescent, NE48 4AX Halton Lea Gate Leaside Estate, CA8 7LA Sainsbury's Car Park, Fair Hill, Haltwhistle NE49 9DZ Haltwhistle Household Waste Haltwhistle Recovery Centre, Town Foot, Haltwhistle, NE49 0ET Railway Station Car Park, Church Haydon Bridge Street, NE47 6JQ Heddon-on-the- Service Station Wall Redburn Park, Bardon Mill, NE47 Henshaw 7DH Marks & Spencer Car Park, NE46 Hexham 1AW Hexham Wentworth Car Park, NE46 3PD Hexham Household Waste
    [Show full text]
  • Northeast England – a History of Flash Flooding
    Northeast England – A history of flash flooding Introduction The main outcome of this review is a description of the extent of flooding during the major flash floods that have occurred over the period from the mid seventeenth century mainly from intense rainfall (many major storms with high totals but prolonged rainfall or thaw of melting snow have been omitted). This is presented as a flood chronicle with a summary description of each event. Sources of Information Descriptive information is contained in newspaper reports, diaries and further back in time, from Quarter Sessions bridge accounts and ecclesiastical records. The initial source for this study has been from Land of Singing Waters –Rivers and Great floods of Northumbria by the author of this chronology. This is supplemented by material from a card index set up during the research for Land of Singing Waters but which was not used in the book. The information in this book has in turn been taken from a variety of sources including newspaper accounts. A further search through newspaper records has been carried out using the British Newspaper Archive. This is a searchable archive with respect to key words where all occurrences of these words can be viewed. The search can be restricted by newspaper, by county, by region or for the whole of the UK. The search can also be restricted by decade, year and month. The full newspaper archive for northeast England has been searched year by year for occurrences of the words ‘flood’ and ‘thunder’. It was considered that occurrences of these words would identify any floods which might result from heavy rainfall.
    [Show full text]
  • 885 Bus Time Schedule & Line Route
    885 bus time schedule & line map 885 Byrness View In Website Mode The 885 bus line (Byrness) has 2 routes. For regular weekdays, their operation hours are: (1) Byrness: 1:35 PM (2) Hexham: 9:30 AM Use the Moovit App to ƒnd the closest 885 bus station near you and ƒnd out when is the next 885 bus arriving. Direction: Byrness 885 bus Time Schedule 37 stops Byrness Route Timetable: VIEW LINE SCHEDULE Sunday Not Operational Monday Not Operational Wentworth Car Park, Hexham Tuesday 1:35 PM Bus Station, Hexham Corbridge Road, Hexham Wednesday Not Operational General Hospital, Hexham Thursday Not Operational Corbridge Road, Hexham Friday Not Operational Woodlands, Hexham Saturday Not Operational Eastwood Grange, Hexham Mole Country Store, Hexham 885 bus Info Widehaugh, Dilston Direction: Byrness Stops: 37 Dilston Park, Dilston Trip Duration: 80 min Line Summary: Wentworth Car Park, Hexham, Bus Main Road, Dilston Station, Hexham, General Hospital, Hexham, Woodlands, Hexham, Eastwood Grange, Hexham, A695, Corbridge Civil Parish Mole Country Store, Hexham, Widehaugh, Dilston, Cemetery, Corbridge Dilston Park, Dilston, Main Road, Dilston, Cemetery, Corbridge, Lion, Corbridge, Hill Street, Corbridge, Prior Terrace, Corbridge, Middle School, Corbridge, Lion, Corbridge Errington Arms, Portgate, The Cottages, Colwell, B6321, Corbridge Cowden, Birtley, Tone Inn, Birtley, The Gun, Ridsdale, Hill Street, Corbridge Sarelaw Cottages, Ridsdale, Post Box, East Woodburn, Post O∆ce, West Woodburn, Woodhouse, Hill Street, Corbridge West Woodburn, Coldtown, West
    [Show full text]
  • Frequently Asked Questions Questions
    Respite Care Do I have to bring towels and bed linen? We provide bed linen and towels. Do you provide transport? Yes, we can collect from Newcastle and Hexham train Frequently Asked stations and Longbenton on a Monday only, this is at an extra cost. Please request this at the time of booking and Questions guidance times will be given. Do the carers work on a waking night basis? No, the Care Team do not work on a waking night basis. Every room is fitted with a nurse call system which will alert the carers when someone needs assistance for safety reasons. Are you open all year round? No, our last week for the Care package finishes mid December and we start again at the end of January. Is there a facility to keep money and medication in a safe place? All rooms have a safe deposit box; you just have to ask for the key. However if you feel more comfortable for the Care Team to look after your money and medication, then they have a safe where medication is kept and recorded. When you need your money you just have to ask a member of the Care Team. Do you provide a nursing Calvert Trust Kielder care facility? No, our Care Team are not Kielder Water & Forest Park trained nurses. We can Hexham arrange for our District Nurse to come to the centre Northumberland if a guest requires specialist NE48 1BS treatment. A nursing need form must be completed by a member of the Care Team before arrival.
    [Show full text]
  • UK: FOREST PROFILE1 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Located to the North-West of Continental Europe, Has a Mild, Humid Climate
    UK MARKET PROFILE UNITED KINGDOM MARKET PROFILE UK: FOREST PROFILE1 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, located to the north-west of continental Europe, has a mild, humid climate. Forest and other wooded land accounts for only one tenth of the land area; this percentage has doubled since the First World War as a result of afforestation, much of which took place in Scotland, Wales and northern England. More than four fifths of the forest is available for wood supply; the remainder is not available, for conservation and protection reasons. Over two thirds of the forest is classed as plantations, the remainder as semi-natural. Public ownership has been declining as a result of privatization, to around two fifths of the total. Most private forests are owned by individuals but some by investment groups and nature conservation associations. Britain's warm wet climate is ideal for growing trees. Historically most of the country was covered by natural forest, but by the end of World War I clearances over the past centuries had reduced the tree cover to 4%. A regulated forestry sector and a program of reforestation have increased this figure to almost 11% an area of 2.4M hectares. UK’S FOREST DISTRIBUTION Around 80% of the timber used in the U.K. is Forest Cover 2000 Distribution of land cover/use % (2000) softwood (of conifer origin). Productive conifer woodlands cover about 1.5M hectares, a large ´000 ha Forest Other Wooded Land Other land proportion of which is in Scotland. Britain also United Kingdom 2,794 11.6 .0 88.4 has Europe’s largest man-made forest at Europe 1,039,250 46.0 1.3 52.9 Kielder Forest in Northumberland.
    [Show full text]
  • Better Than The
    TOURING – NORTHUMBERLAND Better than the If you prefer your rugged landscapes without an outdoors shop round every bend, Northumberland is your county. Where Hadrian’s Wall marks ancient divides, you’ll find a sociable seclusion... and plenty to entertain you WORDS Gary Blake PHOTOGRAPHY Gary Blake & Wendy Johnson Cheviot Hills Kielder Water Hexham Newcastle Walking the Wall is a challenge NORTHUMBERLAND but don’t forget to simply sit and stare for a while Photo credit: istock | 48 Go caravan www.go-caravan.co.uk part of | September 2011 49 | TOURING – NORTHUMBERLAND The bustling beach at Agay BUSY DAY Forest adventure The National Park around Kielder Water (www.visitkielder.com ) has so much to offer. The Canadian-style adventure forest is home of Calvert Trust, whose outdoor adventures for disabled people include exhilarating sailing, abseiling and high wire ropes, with able-bodied friends joining in. Kielder’s forest paths goad mountain bikers to go faster n my mind, I’m in a scene from The Eagle, the Hollywood blockbuster about the Romans’ Ninth Legion, lost in Northern Britain. I’m here on the wall, marching eastbound to the Walk the wall To enjoy Hadrian’s Wall, get a free garrison of Housesteads Fort and along the iconic I Kielder Water’s Lewisburn Bay, viewed from the road. circular walk map from ‘Great Wall of China’ section of Hadrian’s wall, on the It gets even better on foot Northumberland Parks Centres. The dramatic escarpment of Steel Rigg. From the high AD 122 bus plies the Wall in summer so you can walk bits, taking in the ground of the wall, it’s easy to imagine the barbarians Vindolanda Roman Museum as (the rebellious Scottish tribes) being kept at bay by the Commission’s Kielder Water, as well as a spectacular walk Canterbury.
    [Show full text]