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West of Bellingham, the road follows the North Tyne River and skirts the forested edge of Kielder Water ( ), passing the assorted visitor centres, waterside parks, picnic areas and anchorages that fringe its southern shore. First stop is the Visitor Centre at Tower Knowe (daily: July & Aug 10am-6pm; June & Sept 10am-5pm; April, May & Oct 10am-4pm; tel 01434/240398), eight miles from Bellingham, with a cafe and an exhibition (GBP1) on the history of the valley and lake. Another four miles west, at Leaplish , the waterside park (daily: April & Oct 9am-6pm; May-Sept 9am-11pm; Nov-March call to check times on 01434/250312), bar and restaurant are the focus of most of Kielder's outdoor activities: water sports and fishing are on offer, and there's a heated indoor pool. The Bird of Prey Centre here (March-Oct daily 10.30am-5pm; GBP3) gives you the chance to handle these vicious predators and lays on flying displays, falconry courses and winter hawk walks. A ten-mile, hour-and-a-half's cruise on the Osprey ferry (Easter-Oct 5 daily; tel 01434/250312; GBP4.20) is always a pleasure; departures are from the piers at either Tower Knowe or Leaplish. Five miles from Leaplish at the top of the reservoir and just three miles from the Scottish border, Kielder village is dominated by Kielder Castle (Easter-July & Oct daily 10am-5pm; Aug daily 10am-6pm; Nov-Easter Sat & Sun 11am-4pm; tel 01434/250209; free, parking GBP1), built in 1775 as the hunting lodge of the Duke of Northumberland, and now an information centre and exhibition area praising the work of the Forestry Commission. The castle is surrounded by the Border Forest Park , several million spruce trees subdivided into a number of approximately defined forest areas: Wark and Kielder are broadly to the south of the reservoir, Falstone and Redesdale to the north. Several easy and clearly marked footpaths , dotted with arresting modern sculptures, lead from the castle into the forest - try the "Duke's Trail" through Ravenshill Wood, a slice of ancient and semi-natural woodland. There's mountain bike rental available from Kielder Bikes (tel 01434/250392) at the castle, too, with thirteen waymarked trails and two off-road routes through the forest to choose from. If you want to stay in the area, options are far-flung but wide-ranging. There's a spacious new youth hostel (tel 01434/250195, ; closed Nov-Feb) in Kielder village, with some two-bedded rooms, a self-catering kitchen, and a restaurant offering breakfast and three-course dinners. Leaplish Waterside Park also has bunk-barn accommodation , with dorms and two double rooms (under GBP40) available. On the road in from Bellingham, a couple of miles before the water, the early seventeenth-century Pheasant Inn (tel 01434/240382, thepheasantinn@kielderwater.demon.co.uk ; GBP60-70) at STANNERSBURN has eight comfortable rooms in a modern extension and decent meals. The riverside hamlet of FALSTONE , a mile to the north, boasts the smaller Blackcock Inn (tel 01434/240200; GBP50-60). There's also B&B at Spring Cottage in Stannersburn (tel 01434/240338; GBP40-50), plus several B&Bs in Kielder village and the surrounding area - ask at the information centre. Kielder campsite (tel 01434/250291, kieldercampsite@aol.com ; closed Oct-Easter) is by the banks of the Tyne, about half a mile north of the castle.
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