Kielder Forest

Summary

England’s largest forest — 250 square miles of Sitka spruce and native woodland, with Kielder Water and the darkest skies in England for night shoots.

About this location

Kielder Forest covers roughly 250 square miles of Northumberland in the North Pennines, managed by Forestry England. The forest is predominantly commercial Sitka spruce plantation, which gives a dense, uniform woodland character across large areas — useful for productions requiring a continuous tree canopy without visible management gaps. Within this planted core, there are areas of native deciduous woodland, heathland clearings, and the broad valley of the North Tyne river. Kielder Water reservoir occupies the centre of the forest — 26 kilometres of shoreline accessible from forest tracks.

For night shoots, Kielder has the darkest skies in England and one of the darkest in Europe, with Kielder Observatory operating as an astronomy facility. This makes the location genuinely exceptional for night exterior work where artificial light needs to appear against a dark sky rather than the orange dome of suburban light pollution. The forest also served as a location for the 2014 British horror film Kielder.

Forestry England manages all commercial use of the forest including film production through their land management team. Day rates for access are significantly lower than comparable locations in the Home Counties. Northumberland has minimal film office infrastructure but the Forestry England team is the effective route for permission. Access is via single-track forest roads; four-wheel drive is advisable for locations off the main track. Nearest crew accommodation is in Hexham or Bellingham.