Visit to Kielder - 20th July 2015

We set off in anticipation of a good day at Kielder Water and Forest Park - despite the weather looking threatening. Some lovely scenery to look at on the way meant the journey soon passed and we arrived at Kielder Castle for our first stop of the day. Kielder is the biggest man made lake in N Europe and the biggest working forest in England.

A little early for lunch, we decided to look around the castle and its various exhibitions first before visiting the café. On entering the courtyard this was our first sight! Do you remember this model of car? Somewhat different to todays transport. A look inside reminded us about indicators popping out the side of the car and the old - fashioned controls.

Within the castle, there were exhibitions about the castle and its inhabitants and workers, the solar system and the observatory within the forest, and some of the wildlife found around the forest. There is also a map of the various sights to be seen around the reservoir.

After a delicious lunch in the café it was time to move on - no time to visit the Salmon Centre today - perhaps next time? We set off, heading to Leaplish Waterside Park. There are lovely panoramic views of the reservoir from here as well as lots of activities to take part in and cruises around the water.

There is also a Bird of Prey Centre here. The rain seemed to be holding off so we went into the Bird of Prey Centre hoping that the flying demonstration would happen. The centre was opened in 1997 aiming to allow the general public, especially children, close access to the birds. They hope this will help people appreciate the need for their protection and the protection of their habitat. They have a great number of birds - eagles, owls, hawks, falcons, vultures and also Pelicans. There is also a family of wallabies.

The flying demonstration began with the barn owl. She flew backwards and forwards right in front of us. Everyone watching had the opportunity to put on a glove and watch the owl come and land on it. She flew so quietly that unless you were looking you wouldn't know she was there! A fantastic experience!

Next was a strange looking bird with a strange name - a  crested seriema. They are long legged birds that live in South America. They feed on insects, frogs, lizards, birds rodents and snakes and use their sharp claws to kill them.

This example of a seriema was very well trained and had been taught a neat trick! The handler lined up a row of children one behind the other with their feet well apart. He then placed a few small pieces of raw chicken under their legs and called the bird. It came running along the path - just like road runner in the cartoons - and went under their legs and grabbed the food. He did this several times but  was still too quick for us to get a photo!!
An young eagle owl was then brought out to demonstrate his ability. This he did by flying backwards and forwards across the field to and from another handler. His ability to glide was beautifully illustrated on these flights.

By this time the midges were becoming a real problem - they were everywhere! The display was cut a little short because of the midges so our last bird to watch was a Black Kite. They are very similar to Red Kites but do not have the forked tail.

As with Red Kites their agility is amazing. It flew around the field catching scraps of food and eating them on the wing!
We then moved on to Tower Knowe Visitor Centre where you can explore the exhibition about how the Kielder Water was built. There were swallows and House Martins all around the centre and looking closer their nests were under the eaves.

House Martin and Swallows

Inside the centre is the interactive exhibition, with many ways to learn about the reservoir. The scheme was planned in the late 1960's in anticipation of a rise in demand for water because of a booming industrial economy. The scheme was finally approved in 1974 and work began in 1975 to build a dam and reservoir. Many farms, a school and a railway were lost in the development. The project was completed in 1981 and opened by the Queen in 1982. It then took 2 years for the reservoir to fill with water.
The dam and reservoir are quite a sight and the engineering involved was incredible. The Valve Tower that sticks out of the water near the dam is taller than Nelson's Column! Unfortunately as we neared the dam the weather really deteriorated so we decided not to get out there but to begin our journey home.

A Grand Day Out but a place that needs more visits - and better weather -  to investigate all its attractions!