Elf Kirk

The car park at Elf Kirk sits right on the edge of Kielder Water, and that's the whole point. This is a proper working picnic spot - a grassy area with tables, bins, and a decent toilet block - rather than some fancy visitor centre. You're here to eat sandwiches, chuck a ball about, maybe dip a toe in the water if the weather's up to it.

Walkers love it because the South Tyne Trail passes through, and you can stretch your legs in any direction without much planning. The actual "kirk" bit refers to the ruined church remains nearby - nothing dramatic, just old stones - but the real draw is the water itself. Kielder stretches out impressively, especially on a clear day when you can see why people have bothered building lodges all round here.

It's free, as far as I can tell, and you can spend anywhere from twenty minutes grabbing lunch to a couple of hours if you fancy a proper walk. The nearby lodges at Kielder Waterside and Landal Kielder Waterside are within spitting distance, so this works as a daytime stop if you're basing yourself in one of those. Wild Northumbrian Tipis is a bit further out but still worth knowing about if you want something more unusual.

Hexham's the nearest town if you need supplies, though honestly the picnic site itself has what you need. Go when the weather's decent - there's no shelter worth speaking of, so a downpour makes it fairly grim.