New Kielder Trails

[Andy]

Lifted straight from the KTR website (posted by Alex Mac)

All,
Seems the updates are not getting through from the project to this website, please find our intended dates for the new trails opening this year.

1, New Red Trail starts at Lewisburn goes past the lonesome tree which you can see on the distant skyline as you walk down to Kielder Castle from the Kielder Car Park.
The trail comes in behind the former Kielder Garage, so you will see the end of the trail as you drive into Kielder.

TRAIL NOW OPEN (20th April 2009)- visit Kielder Castle for the new map, which has been produced for the launch. Map also here on this forum.
The trail is very mixed open flowing, less technical than Deadwater- total trail length (includes section of Lakeside Way and Fire Road) = 19.2km


2, Blue Grade trail- set to open end of May/ beginning June- No map, until the trail is fit for purpose, this is to allow a bridge to be built over a burn, which is in construction currently. Trail length is estimated to be approx 18km.


3, MTB Trials Area, located above Kielder Castle car park, opening set for July/ Aug

4, NEW MTB HIRE CENTRE, tender to operate process is near completion and we hope to
announce who the operator is by 3rd week in May.

5 Red Trail connection with Newcastleton Forest/ Scotland- singletrack to within
200m of the national border. Trail opens 1st week September (gives a further loop
of (a) 23km and (b) including Newcastleton 50km+

I hope this update is useful, www.visitkielder.com is to be updated all things MTB in the coming weeks and months, please note visitkielder is a website that was only launched 1 month ago and the site is set to evolve to become the 1 stop site for all things Kielder, so please be patient as this develops.

[nodrog2]

Pretty accurate description there Blue Helmet, pretty much how i found it as well. There is more singletrack cutting out a lot of the fire road already cut and marked but until more funding is put in place then it won't materialise.

[Andy]

Well, went up stupidly early on Sat to try the new trail (and have a gander at the Avalanche lot) and it's a bit of a mixed bag. First of you've got an easy warm up on the lakeside way for a couple of miles before heading off onto the first man made stretch (surface was very loose in some places) before a huge fire road slog to the top of the hill which could be boring for some but I got swooped by a red kite and nearly hit a deer coming round a corner. Apparently there are plans to put in some singletrack depending on funding / volunteers on this stretch. The 'north shore' up at the top by the lonesome pine is really a boardwalk - it's 2m wide - but the view from up there is fantastic. The downhill section back to the village is good fun though with the odd sharp bend here and there to keep you on your toes but no jumps. It's more of a hard blue than a red with a couple of jumps and an optional drop off on the first stretch and a couple more jumps just as you come of the boardwalk.

Probably best for blue level riders looking for a step up in challange but who don't want to tackle a full blown red.

[nodrog2]

All trails easy to find and are way marked. Don't bother with Dead water this weekend though as it'll be closed for the Avalanche cup.

[earthworm jim]

the original deadwater red trail starts at the castle car park. Follow signs into the skills loop and out from there. The othe red trail starts at lewisburn, as directed above.

[lee trotter]

never been to kielder befor but planining on doing the red trail .do you park near th castle and is it easy to find.