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Northumberland-Walks.co.uk - photographic walks in Northumberland.Leaplish to Hawkhirst Circular Walk, Kielder - March 2007.Introduction This walk includes lakeside paths, forest trails and tarmac roads with tremendous views of Kielder Water. Depending on when you do this walk you may hardly see another soul in some places. The walk starts at Leaplish and follows a lakeside path into the forest. This should also be the return route but inconsiderate tree felling had destroyed the path through the forest when we visited, so we returned along the main road. The path may have been reinstated when you visit, you will have to make your own judgment. Total Distance is between 5 and 6 miles depending on route variations. Toilets - next to pub / shops at Leaplish, but not always open.
Walk The walk starts in the car park at Leaplish. 1) Follow the path out of the north end of the car park and skirt along the shore into an inlet where the footpath becomes clearly visible. This was necessary when we did this walk due to tree felling next to the car park. When this is complete you should be able to follow the footpath through the forest again (waymarked).
2) A short distance along the inlet you will see a footbridge on your right. Cross this bridge and follow the footpath along the other side of the inlet. Some of the best views of Kielder Water are from this point. You can see along the lake as far as the dam if the weather is clear.
3) Follow this path, crossing more footbridges as it skirts around the shoreline. The path is wide and recently laid along here but comes to an abrupt end at a fence beside the forest.
4) From here turn right and walk down towards the lake until you reach a stile across the fence. Cross the stile and follow the path up through the forest. Here is when you may need good navigation skills, depending on when you do this walk. According to the O.S. Map the path should follow roughly the edge of the forest for a while before bearing slightly to the right and then downhill to a stile where you leave the forest.
When we did this walk however the path had been destroyed by tree felling and we took a wrong route that brought us out of the forest at the wrong place. This was the only visible route se we had to follow it. As it happens it brought us to Mounces Viewpoint which provides superb views north over the forest to the Scottish Border.
The downside of this was that we had to climb a couple of fences and cross a field to get back to the path at the stile, where we should have left the forest.
5) From the stile follow the path which soon becomes a boardwalk across a boggy area to a very narrow footbridge.
6) Cross the bridge (single file only!) and a stile at the other end. You are now on the old North Tyne Valley Road which was the main road before the reservoir was built and the valley was flooded. Turn right and follow the road.
7) After a short distance the road disappears into the reservoir. Turn left before the water and follow a path up to another stile at the edge of the forest.
8) Cross the stile and follow the path through the forest close to the shore by the lakeside. There are some markers here and there but this seems to be a little used path.
9) After a while the path turns left, still staying close to the shore but at this point it becomes indistinct and boggy in places. We diverted onto the shore in one place where the path was very wet.
10) Beyond a clearing the path enters the forest again and signs of human activity reappear. Old sawhorses that may have been used as fires (or barbeques?) are scattered about the forest.
11) The path soon emerges from the forest at Hawkhirst where boats and canoes are stored by the lake and moored in the water.
12) At this point you can follow the path through the forest again but we followed the tarmac road past the outdoor centre. This emerges at the old Tyne Valley Road again.
13) Now you have a choice to make. a) You can turn left and after a short distance you will reach the narrow footbridge you crossed earlier. From there, retrace your steps to Leaplish. Alternatively, b) Turn right and walk up to the main road. Follow the road back and either turn left onto a path back down to the lake or continue along to the Caravan Park exit road and down to Leaplish Car Park.
Note: if you take option b) as we did due to the state of the forest path, take great care along the road as some traffic travels very fast on this stretch. Keep on the right so you can see it coming and move onto the verge.
Notes
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