Kielder Water Loop
Forty kilometres of genuinely runnable forest track around one of England's most remote and unspoilt stretches of water, with barely a hill to interrupt your rhythm.
Forty kilometres of genuinely runnable forest track around one of England's most remote and unspoilt stretches of water, with barely a hill to interrupt your rhythm.
A 40km loop of Kielder Water, northern Europe's largest man-made reservoir, on well-surfaced forest tracks around the Lakeside Way with only 79m of climbing across the whole distance.
The route
The Lakeside Way circles the entire reservoir on hard-packed forest track, and this route follows it in full - through conifer plantation, along open shoreline, and out onto the Bull Crag peninsula that juts into the water partway round. Waymarking is good throughout, so navigation is straightforward even on the quieter, less-visited northern shore where you'll likely see nobody for long stretches.
Kielder Water and Forest Park
Kielder Water was completed in 1982 and holds more water than any other reservoir in England, set inside the largest working forest in the country. It's also one of the designated Dark Sky Parks in Europe, for what that's worth if you're tempted to turn this into an overnight trip and run at dusk or dawn.
Why it works
At 40km with only 79m of ascent, this is pure distance training - a place to bank a long run without technical terrain or navigation getting in the way. The Altra Kielder Marathon uses these same Lakeside Way tracks for its main event, which tells you everything about how well suited the surface is to genuine, sustained running.
Getting there
This is remote country - Kielder village has minimal services, mobile signal is patchy in places, and public transport is close to non-existent. Plan to be self-sufficient for food, water and any problems along the way. The three visitor centres spaced around the loop - Kielder Castle, Tower Knowe and Leaplish - are the only realistic points to break the distance up, refill water bottles or bail out if things aren't going to plan, so it's worth knowing roughly where they fall on the route before you set off, particularly if you're running it solo and want a mental checklist of progress points spaced out along the long way round.
Genuinely remote - patchy mobile signal around much of the loop and very little help on hand if something goes wrong. Forest tracks can be exposed to weather with little shelter from wind or rain over such a long distance.
Safety on this route
- No signal? Text 999 — pre-register first: text register to 999
- Tell someone your route and expected return time before you head out
Common questions
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