Kielderhead NNR
Although most NNRs are managed by Natural England, 88 are wholly or partly managed by other bodies approved by Council, under Section 35 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
County: Northumberland
Main habitats: Peatland
Area: 4100 Ha
Site map: Nature on the Map
Kielderhead reserve is managed by the Forestry Commission.
The NNR is an extensive tract of moorland that exhibits a wide range of upland ecosystems including rock outcrops, mire systems and wooded cleughs (ravines or small valleys).
Blanket bog occupies the site's broader ridges together with some heather and cottongrasses. Deergrass and cloudberry are locally common. Steeper slopes are home to heather moor, with wet heath found on gentler slopes.
Sheltered cleughs contain remnants of a former woodland cover of downy birch and rowan, while the exposed hill summits support bilberry and crowberry heath. In places dwarf shrub has been replaced by grasslands which include mat-grass, sheep's fescue and purple moor grass.
Breeding birds found in the area include golden plover, dunlin, lapwing, oystercatcher, curlew, dipper, common sandpiper, ring ouzel, wheatear and whinchat.
Location and access
The NNR is part of the Kielder Forest Park, four km north east of Kielder village. Access by road is via the B6357 (from the A7). The nearest train station is in Carlisle, approximately 40 km to the south west. For information on local bus services contact Traveline
Facilities
There is a Forestry Commission visitor centre at Kielder Castle (in Kielder village), and this provides car parking, toilet and refreshment facilities.
The centre is the starting point for a number of walks and trails exploring Kielder Forest Park, some of which are specially designed to allow wheelchair access.
