Bakethin Hide

Bakethin Hide is situated on the very westerley edge of Bakethin Reservoir, not too far from the village of Kielder itself. It is a short walk from the parking area on Lakeside Way, and given the amount of birds and other wildlife around Kielder, you'll be guaranteed to see something hanging out near the hide.

The current hide was designed by students at Newcastle University to accommodate birdwatchers and families, alongside Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Northumbrian Water and Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust and was opened in 2017. It replaced an old hide here which has been popular with birdwatchers since the nature reserve area was created in 1979. There are a variety of habitats at Bakethin which make it so special, including open water, wetland, woodland, grassland and reedbeds.

Ospreys migrate from Spain and West Africa and arrive back at Kielder in early spring. They have been breeding at Kielder since 2009, using the man made platforms that are dotted about Kielder Reservoir. Every year rangers collect any new chicks and ring them before they fledge to record the flights of the birds, and nestcams are available online if you want to see the chicks up close for yourself. If you're visiting Kielder you can also watch videos and use telescopes at Tower Knowe Visitor Centre to get a closer look, and it's always a treat to see them.

We stayed at Kielder in May 2025, hoping to catch some views of the Ospreys and we were absolutely spoiled. A number of times they were soaring just above us, and we got to see one hunting and fishing from Belvedere on the north side of the reservoir. Kielder is a fabulous place to see these birds and it never gets old seeing them flying about.