Kielder Mountain Bike Trail Centre

Description

Kielder Mountain Bike Centre is situated in Kielder Water & Forest Park in Northumberland, North East England. It has 8 waymarked mountain bike trails starting from the trail hub at Kielder Castle visitors center. There are family-friendly greens, beginners blues, reds, a black, and even an orange-graded MTB Trials Park.

Overall there are over 100 miles of MTB trails! So there is something for all abilities.

Borderline Trail (Blue)

• The blue Borderline trail is 11km (7 miles) long and starts from Kielder Village and follows the former Border Counties Railway line. It is perfect for all the family as it is fairly flat with mainly grassy tracks and occasional tarmac road. 

Castle Wood Skills Loop (Blue, Red and Black Options)

• The blue grade section of Castle Wood Skills Loop is 0.5km long, single-track that is around 1 metre wide with a solid surface. There are slight gradients as well as low-level north shore style decking, bridges and some berms.
• The red grade trail is shorter but more technically advanced than the blue trail (less than 1m wide with a looser surface). The obstacles and gradients are also more challenging. 
• The short black grade section can be accessed from the red grade section. this includes the 'Corkscrew' North Shore structure that runs along a natural ditch, which leads you to the extra chunky rock garden. Technical features designed for expert riders. 

 The Lakeside Way (Mult-User Route)

• The Lakeside Way multi-user path is 42km (26 miles) long and circles Kielder Water and has some hills on the ride also. It has a good surface for cycling,, walkers, cyclists, horse riders, mobility scooters and wheelchair users. Allow least at 3-4 hours plus if you are fit. 
• There are also some shorter route options e.g. the south shore is approximately 14 miles in length, stretching from Kielder Dam to Kielder Castle Visitor Centre and including Tower Knowe Visitor Centre and Leaplish Waterside Park.

Osprey Trail (Blue)

• The Blue Osprey trail is 19km (12 miles) long and starts from Kielder Castle and heads up the Forest Drive to the first of several sections of single-track as it turns along Kielder Burn and climbs into the forest. The trail links back onto the Lakeside Way on a forest road or via a bridge over Plashetts Burn at Wainhope.
• This route has 1km shortcut route which joins the existing trail and adds an option for visiting riders short of time. The route is also intended to add an additional section of flowing single-track for those wanting a bit more.

 Lonesome Pine Trail (Red)

• The Red Lonesome Pine trail is 19.7km (11 miles) long and offers fun descents as well as having the UK’s longest, one metre wide, wooden boardwalk of its kind (quite a sight!). It starts from Kielder Castle and the first 3 miles is on the Lakeside Way multi-user trail. At Lewisburn you hit the singletrack and it then climbs out of the valley and heads up to the top of Purdom Pike at over 1000 feet to then to get across the boggy terrain of Purdom Pike is 1000 yards of timber north shore as mentioned. Then you have the descent back towards Kielder village, passing Skyspace and close to Kielder Observatory. The last bit from Bewshaugh to the village is a great flowing descent through the forest.
• In 2024 following damage from Storm Arwen in 2021 upgrades were made to the Oliver's Oscar and Skydive sections of the trail with a plan to re-open the full descent from the trail down to Kielder Garage in Jan 2025.

Lone Star - (Black - AMTB)

• Lone Star is a 9.5km trail and will be even longer later in 2025 when the top section of boardwalk and Purdom Plunge sections open. It is black-graded and suitable for Adaptive Mountain Bikes. Lone Star name was given as it ties into the Kielder Skyspace and Kielder Observatory and celebrates the wonderful Dark Skies of Kielder/ Northumberland. It starts at the Kielder Skyspace car park and finishes at Kielder village. 

The Bloody Bush Trail (Red)

• The Bloody Bush red trail is 33km (20 miles) long and starts via the Lonesome Pine trail. It links Kielder Water & Forest Park to the Scottish Border and the 7 Stanes bike centre at Newcastleton. You can ride single-track to the border to tie in with existing routes in Scotland.  A return route via the existing Cross Border Trail makes for a ride of over 60km. 

The Deadwater Trails

• The Deadwater red trail is 6.8km (4.2m) long and starts from Kielder Castle. It takes in the 1,900-foot summit of Deadwater Fell which straddles the English/Scottish border. The trail descends from the peak back down to Kielder Castle on a specially constructed single track, packed full of features like technical climbs, rock drop off’s, berms, single-track and north shore.  
• The Deadwater Black Grade trail, spurs off from the Red Grade trail. This section of trail has quite a technical climb, some skinny woodwork on an incline, and fast descent. It ends with a gap jump in the Rattlesnake section. It is 6.3 miles (10.2km).

Deadwater Mile Down Area

• Experience the Deadwater Jumpline and Mile Down red grade descent and if you have the nerve (and skill) extreme black graded Northern Downhill Descent trails. The Mile Down trail will eventually be 1.69m long. It is red with black and double diamond options. In May 2025 the bottom section opened with the rest coming in the next few months  The Mile Down (red-grade) and Northern Downhill Descent (black-grade) together, bring over a kilometre of new trail to the fell. Mile Down adds 650 metres of fast, flowing singletrack, with momentum-carrying berms and rollable features designed for confident intermediate riders. The Northern Downhill Descent contributes 565 metres of technical black-grade terrain, including rock gardens, drops, and steeper lines tailored to advanced mountain bikers. When complete the trail will be the longest official mountain bike descent in The UK.

• Mile Down - Grade: Difficult (red) 0.6km (0.5 miles). Optional TTFs (Technical Trail Features) on the route

• • The mile down trail area in Kielder Forest include a red trail with black braids, packed with fast flowing sections and features that make the most of the natural landscape
  • Mile down also includes a progressive jump (red) line that merges with the revamped black graded Northern Downhill descent further down the hill.
• Northern Downhill Descent
• • Middle Trail - Grade: Extreme (black) 0.25km (0.1 mile)
  • Northern Downhill Lower Trail Grade: Extreme (black) 0.3km (0.2 mile)

Trials Park (Orange)

• The Orange graded Trials Park is packed with technical features like a rock garden, big jumps and a two-metre high elevated timber trail, bikers using the trials park will require body armour and specialist bikes. It has different progressive Orange sections for a variety of technical abilities. 

Other Stuff

• The trails are maintained for by the volunteer trail group, the Kielder Trail Reavers.
• Timber features in the trail area were built by Neville Potts, sponsored by Jacksons Timber in Hexham. Ian Bell and David Robinson from the Bike Place, Kielder, also helped with design and construction.

Groups and Clubs

• Kielder Water & Forest Park Facebook Group

Share

• If you have ridden the mountain bike trails at Kielder then please share your pictures, videos and reviews to this listing.