Hamsterly Forest

Background

A forest situated at the gateway to the North Pennines near Bishop Auckland, Hamsterly Forest is a commercial forest owned by Forestry England and is the largest forest in County Durham.

This forest is also a popular tourist destination and woodland park and a major hotspot for mountain biking. As you drive into the forest, you descend a steep hill to the main car park which give ways to mountain bike trails of all levels, children’s activities and playgrounds.

Walking Trails

Hamsterly Forest is home to plenty of different walking trails suitable for people with differing capabilities. A lot of the trails vary in terms of distance, terrain and difficulty. The most popular trails are:

• Bedburn Valley
• Riverside Trail
• Spurlswood Valley
• Three Becks

The Bedburn Valley walk is a 2.5 miles long circular walk, and the Riverside Trail is 1.5 miles long. The other two are 4.5 miles with a moderate difficulty level.

The Riverside Trail is also part of the Gruffalo Trail! The Gruffalo Trail features various Gruffalo wooden statues which you must find.

Cycling

Image taken by Aiden Dawson

The forest is also riddled with over 33 miles worth of mountain bike and cycle trails. All the trails vary in difficulty levels as well as distance and terrain. There is a trail suited for people of varying capabilities, whether you’re new to bike riding or seeking an adrenaline rush down the rocky trails.

The main cycle trails are graded by colours –  red, blue and black – black being the most difficult and best suited for cyclists with more experience.

There is also the Descend Bike Park, which is suitable for expert downhill mountain bikers. The Descend Bike Park is part of the forest (located 2 miles from the main visitor centre), and people visiting this park must sign in and pay separately for a day’s session.

A lot of the harder trails include features such as slopes, ski jumps, and gap jumps. A lot of these trails requires very technical mountain bike skills. Click here to learn more about the Descend Bike Park.

Playground

There are plenty of other activities and things to do, including several playgrounds dotted around the forest; near to the visitor centre is the Viking Wild Play just on the Riverside Trail right next to the beck, boasting various climbing frames, the assault course and the Viking boat and fort.

There are also playgrounds suitable for younger infants, including the baby swings just down from the visitor centre and café.

Visitor Centre and Café

Image taken by Aiden Dawson

The main visitor centre is located by the main car park. There is an offering of refreshments and snacks at the café, which is at the visitor centre. As you drive into the main entrance down the bank, you pass the visitor centre on the right.

At the visitor centre is a large outdoor seating area with picnic benches. There is also a small play area outside in the corner of the seating enclosure. Inside the main café they have an indoor seating area, with one separate smaller room where dogs are allowed.

The café serves up all kinds of hot drinks from their barista machine in addition to cold drinks. Hot meals include everything from jacket potatoes and toasties to chips and pizza.

There is also an outdoor stall where people can also buy refreshments; they even have a pizza oven in the outdoor café area. There is also an ice cream stall selling all kinds of cold treats, including ice cream sundaes and milkshakes.

Events

Many events take place at Hamsterly Forest. They often have Parkruns, which take place on a Saturday morning and consist of 5-10K runs. Click here to find out more about the Parkrun events.

Other events include mountain bike activities and competitions. Click here to check out their Facebook page for upcoming events.

You can also join clubs, including the Hamsterly Trailblazers which have regular meetups at the forest. They do all kinds of voluntary work activities including maintaining and building new cycle trails. Click here to find out more about how to volunteer.

Memberships

People can create a membership with Forestry England and use it to get more access to the forest’s facilities. Members can also get free parking and receive newsletters with the latest news on forest updates.

Memberships can be used for all other forest parks owned by Forestry England, as well as Hamsterly Forest. Click here for more information.

Accessibility

Wheelchair Access

Wheelchair users can access most of the parks and the visit centre and café. The café has a ramp outside it to access the cafe’s side entrance and the information centre. There are handrails along the side of the ramp and walkway too.

Most of the forest tracks are quite bumpy with loose gravel, and the narrow trails would be difficult for wheelchair and pushchair users. But there are plenty of tracks that are more suitable, including the Gruffalo trail along the riverside and the main tarmac road that runs from the main centre to other car parks located deeper in the forest valley. It may be tricky for wheelchair users to reach higher ground walks, but most of the lower ground walks are accessible if someone can manage gravel and undulating surfaces.

Toilet Facilities

There is a toilet block located a short walk from the visitor centre and right in the centre of the main car park area. There are female and male toilets and a separate disabled toilet. The toilets also have ramps as well as steps with handrails for wheelchair users to access and baby changing facilities. There is also a single unisex toilet in the café.

When there are events on in various locations in the forest, portable toilet cabins are provided on the picnic fields.

Child-Friendly

Activities that kids can enjoy include;

• Gruffalo trail
• Viking Wild Play and many other playgrounds
• Walking trails suitable for young children
• Additional attractions (such as the Green Man statue)
• Picnic areas and fields

The café is also child-friendly because they sell fruit juices and snacks suitable for infants. They also serve small kid-sized portions on their menu and provide highchairs for babies.

Dog-Friendly

This forest is dog-friendly. All the trails are suitable for dog walking. The café main seating area inside does not allow dogs, but there is a separate smaller room where dogs are allowed. The café also sells dog treats.

Parking

There is plenty of parking around the forest, and there is plenty of spaces for days when it gets busy. There are four accessible spaces located nearer to the visitor centre. The Grove Car Park and the Blackling Hole Car Park are two other car parks located deeper in the forest valley.

Public transport

The nearest bus stop is in Hamsterly Village, but this is a walk down Bedburn Lane and along the lane going into the forest.

Conclusion

We hope this listing has provided you with enough information to help you plan your visit to Hamsterly Forest. For similar listings in the area, we also have information on;

• Low Barns Nature Reserve 
• Witton Castle
• Raby Castle & Park