KIELDER VIADUCT - KIELDER Traditional Cache
KIELDER VIADUCT - KIELDER
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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A short walk from the car park at Bakethin Reservoir - cache location approx 12 - 15' in front of the plaque.
Kielder Water and Forest Park Lakeside Way - 27 miles - now complete. Tucked away at the top of Northumberland, close to the Scottish Border and Hadrian's Wall, beautiful Kielder Water is the largest man-made lake in Western Europe and is set in the majestic Kielder Forest, one of Europe’s largest man-made forests. Home to one of Britain's biggest nature resorts, housing England's biggest colony of red squirrels, as many as 6,000 roe deer and many species of rare birds. Hills, rivers and open areas add to the diversity of the forest. “This rich and varied landscape reflects the mood of Northumbria: a wild and romantic place to savour, a place to recharge the spirit”. Kielder Water is the main reason why there are never any water shortages in Northumberland even though the county as a whole is one of the driest in the country. Constructed between 1975 and 1981 at a cost of £167 million, it is 7 miles in length, covers an area of 10 square kilometres and has a capacity of 200 million cubic metres – it took two years to flood the valley. Kielder's quiet beauty is enhanced by a range of activities which include walking, cycling, horse riding, sailing, water-sports, fishing and a ferry cruiser. There is a great selection of walks of varying distances, from easy to strenuous, around Kielder Water, Bakethin Reservoir and in Kielder Forest. The combination of water and forest creates a spectacular environment for walking and cycling with starting points all around the 27mile shoreline. A 2.5m wide multi-user track around the shoreline of Kielder Reservoir is currently under development and the Art and Architecture programme at Kielder has led to the creation of a series of major new structures and installations around the Lake and in the Forest. An interesting 13 mile Forest Toll road connects Kielder Village at the head of the reservoir to the A68, providing a neat shortcut cross county for just £2 at time of listing all views inclusive of course 
!! At all times along with the Country Code, please observe: THE FOREST CODE Guard against all risk of fire Protect trees, plants and wildlife Leave things as you find them - take nothing away Keep dogs under control Avoid damaging buildings, fences, hedges, walls and signs Leave no litter Kielder Viaduct built in 1862 as part of the Border Counties Railway is set amongst beautiful native woodland. This magnificent structure is a unique piece of industrial archaeology, interesting because of its diagonal crossing of the river that necessitated a 'skew' arch design and requiring an individual size and shape for every block of stone used in the construction of each arch. Kielder viaduct represents a rare, and the finest remaining, example of the skew arch form of construction and has been adopted as the emblem of Kielder Village - said to be England's most remote village, and with a population of around 200 people. To obtain approval from the Duke of Northumberland the viaduct had to be built with turrets, battlements and false arrow slits, just why is not clear, though it was not without precedent for landowners to request such additions. The structure is a scheduled monument protected by law, preserved by the Newcastle and Northumberland Society when the line through Kielder closed - to passengers on 15 October 1956 and to freight on 1 September 1958. The valley and much of the railway line between Falstone and Kielder was flooded to build the reservoir. The Viaduct has now been restored and footpaths give access to allow walkers to enjoy the pleasing views over the reservoir from the top, and of its arches from below, along the low path. The intricate ironwork, which embellishes the castellation was designed by local school children and is certainly a further interesting feature along the ‘battlements’!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre ybtf onfr bs gerr.