Kielder Water and Forest

The reservoir was completed in 1981 by damming the North Tyne to supply industry on Teesside and Tyneside that had largely disappeared by the time it filled; it holds around two hundred million cubic metres and is the largest artificial lake in northern Europe by capacity. The forest around it covers about six hundred and fifty square kilometres of Sitka spruce planted from the 1920s, the largest working forest in England, and it holds around half of England's red squirrel population, protected because grey squirrels have not established in the conifer interior. In 2013 the area was designated a Dark Sky Park, the largest area of protected night sky in Europe, and Kielder Observatory runs public events most nights. A twenty-six-mile lakeside way circles the water with sculpture and shelters along it.

What you actually see

• The dark sky - Europe's largest protected night-sky area, with a public observatory.
• The red squirrels - about half of England's population, in hides and forest.
• The Lakeside Way - a twenty-six-mile circuit with art installations along it.
• The scale - the largest man-made lake and the largest forest in England.

When to go

Late autumn to early spring for stargazing, when nights are long; April to October for cycling and water sports. Observatory events sell out weeks ahead and run in all seasons.

Honest expectations

Kielder is remote, with no public transport worth relying on and long single-track approaches. The forest is commercial monoculture and visually repetitive. Observatory nights are cold, and cloud cancels the view though not always the event. Midges are severe in summer evenings.

Nearby

Hadrian's Wall lies south; Bellingham and the North Tyne valley are on the road in.