When You Arrive
The observatory has two sets of gates which are opened for events shortly before they start (approx 30 minutes to 1 hour before the event start time). If you arrive to find a locked gate please park in the nearby car park and await a member of staff. The door to the observatory itself is opened 15 minutes before each event is due to start.
If you have booked with us (you will need to have booked in advance!) please bring along your booking form/receipt as it will help our staff check you in when you arrive — if you do not have your booking form don’t worry as we’ll be able to confirm your booking with your name and telephone no used to make the booking.
Any visit to Kielder is a real adventure, the drive up through the spectacular countryside plays host to over 50% of the entire red squirrel population in the UK with deer, owls and other birds of prey frequently spotted… The drive up the track alone will leave you breathless with excitement!
The observatory track is about 2 miles of forest road with a speed limit of 15 mph. The track is readily passable with care by all vehicles (including camper-vans) however may be unsuitable for low-suspension sports cars. It takes about 10 minutes to drive up the track from the main road to the observatory.
Please be aware that the track up to the observatory is an off road track and in winter time can become slippery.
Parking
There is ample visitor parking about 50 metres from the observatory itself, visitors with accessibility requirements are welcome to park next to the observatory where our staff will be happy to assist you.
Note that the car park near to the main road is not the observatory car park. If you leave your car here and decide to walk to the observatory its 1.75 miles uphill and will take about 45 minutes!
Sat Nav Information
Sat Nav users beware! The observatory itself does not have a postcode therefore the following postcode can be used to get you to Kielder Village. If you follow your sat nav to this destination you will arrive at Kielder Castle and will possibly get lost in the village! Please stay on the main road and look for the signpost to "Kielder Skyspace and Observatory", zoom in on our map which clearly shows this.
Postcode: NE48 1ER
Facilities
On site we have composting toilets, a log fire for those cold winter nights to keep you warm, and our team will offer you a range of hot beverages including our famous “Kielder Hot Chocolate”, along with astronomically themed choc bars. We also have a range of branded merchandise such as t-shirts, woolly hats and fleeces available for sale at the observatory in support of the charity
Purchases can be made using cash or credit/debit cards
Red Light Rules
At Kielder we want you to enjoy the night sky at its best, and that means curbing white light. It takes up to 45 minutes for your eyes to become fully dark adapted, but that can be lost in a fraction of a second by a carelessly pointed torch or car head light. To make sure we all stay happily in the dark, the following simple rules will apply.
During events we ideally would like no white lights including headlights to be used anywhere near the observatory
If you use a laptop computer for imaging on our photography nights, ensure it is fitted with red masking film. You can also place the laptop inside an open box to further shield nearby observers from the screen.
Strictly no laser pointers. This also applies to mobile phones if used for taking any photographs.
Lights from caravans, motor homes or tents must be fully shielded or covered with effective red filters.
Torches on the observatory must be red filtered and dim --please don't blind folk with powerful head torches--keep torches pointing down.
Ensure car vanity and boot lights are either switched off or masked if you need to return to your car.
Don't keep locking and unlocking car doors with a remote causing the hazard warning lights to flash.
For our part, we will ensure that any white light observatory lighting is switched off or masked apart from where need be to comply with health and safety regulations. At Kielder we take red light seriously. We will marshal the observatory and politely enforce these simple rules.
Our observatory is a not for profit organisation and a registered charity. Your visit to us is what helps keep us going, so from all of us here at Kielder Observatory, we thank you.
Accesibility
A copy of our access statement can be downloaded via the link below.
Access Statement for Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society
