Geltsdale

We're working hard to make our nature reserves safe and ready for our staff, visitors and wildlife. Many have now re-opened in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, although some facilities are not yet available. Some reserves remain closed for now. See our COVID-19 updates page for the latest information (link below).

Address: RSPB Geltsdale, Stagsike Cottages, Brampton CA8 2PN

Grid ref: NY588584

See our updates page to see which reserves are open.

Hidden away in the north-west corner of the North Pennines, Geltsdale is a remote and ruggedly beautiful nature reserve that encompasses two hill farms - Geltsdale and Tarnhouse. Here, you'll find upland birds such as black grouse, breeding waders including curlews, and birds of prey like the hen harrier.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Car park cost: Free.

Facilities

Visitor centre
Toilets
Accessible toilets
Refreshments
Picnic area
Guided walks
Viewing point
Nature trails
Educational facilities

Accessibility

Download full accessibility statement (PDF)

How to get here

By train

Brampton Junction on Carlisle to Newcastle line - around 2 miles (3.2 km) from reserve - follow directions for Hallbankgate as above.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Sadly funding for the Explore Moor Project has come to an end, but you can still bring your class or group to visit the reserve. Trained volunteers may be available to lead visits or you can bring your group independently. There are plenty of resources available free of charge to help you get the most out of your day.

Teaching Support Pack
If you would like to bring your group to discover wildlife at the Geltsdale Reserve, why not download our user-friendly Teaching Support Pack - you'll find it at the top right-hand side of this page.

In it you'll find:

Easy to follow activity instructions
Details of equipment you can borrow
Colourful wildlife identification keys
Pre- and post-visit activity ideas
Risk-assessment

The Moorwitch book
This book aims to raise awareness of England’s rarest breeding bird of prey, the hen harrier. It was created through the RSPB Geltsdale Explore Moor Project by pupils from Castle Carrock Primary School with storyteller Malcolm Green and artist Barry Robson. Read The Moorwitch story yourself. (PDF, 1.4Mb.)

16 degrees, Sunny day

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 179Kb

Geltsdale trail guide

Contact Geltsdale

RSPB Geltsdale, Stagsike Cottages, Brampton CA8 2PN
geltsdale@rspb.org.uk
01697 746717
Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

Barn owl

They are mostly seen on summer evenings and spring late afternoons.

Black grouse

At Geltsdale, black grouse can be seen in autumn, winter and early spring.

Curlew

Curlews are large, brown wading birds with very long, curved bills that can be seen in spring.

Lapwing

Watch the nesting lapwings here chasing predators that may come too close.

Whinchat

Geltsdale is one of the best places to see this summer migrant.

Geltsdale comes alive with breeding wading birds - curlew, lapwing, redshank and snipe - and summer visitors arrive in the new woodlands of the Bruthwaite Trail.

Flowers and butterflies are at their best, and young birds - meadow pipits, swallows stonechats - flock. Barn owls and short-eared owls hunt in the evening.

Winter thrush flocks arrive and black grouse become more visible around the reserve trails and wildfowl arrive on the Tarn.

Crisp days are ideal for walking - often quiet, but a range of wildfowl are regular on the tarn, and hunting birds of prey a possibility. You could see a buzzard and there's a chance of a hen harrier. From January flocks of lapwings begin to return to the reserve on mild days.

About Geltsdale

Habitat

Geltsdale is an undulating landscape: a patchwork of blanket bog, heath, grassland, meadows and woodland rising from 200m above sea level to 620m at Cold Fell. These habitats are an important home to a range of threatened wildlife.

The blanket bogs, heath, upland farmland and woods of Geltsdale support a great diversity of wildlife. Many breeding birds are found here, including black grouse, golden plovers, curlew, ring ouzel, merlin and short-eared owl and the reserve is one of only a handful of nesting sites of hen harriers in England.

Conservation

Tarnhouse Farm is one of two large farms on the reserve. Working with our tenant farmer, we manage the site for nature, within the context of a commercial hill farm. Black grouse and the breeding waders - lapwing, redshank and snipe - have all increased significantly, thanks to sensitive farming, particularly cattle grazing and wetland creation. The extensive blanket bogs of the moorland are being restored through reducing sheep grazing, replacing heather burning with heather cutting, and the blocking of artificial moorland drains. This allows recovery of the sphagnum moss, the building block of peat.

Large areas of new woodland are developing from a combination of natural regeneration and new planting of native species, including the landscape-scale Bruthwaite Pasture Woodland which extends across the hillside above Stagsike.

The reserve is an important site for research into upland habitat management and reversing the declines of threatened wildlife. We monitor key species and habitats, and carry out trials to test new conservation solutions for species such as curlew and ring ouzel. Our aim is to work with other farmers and land managers to increase the wildlife on their land.

We are committed to providing a good quality service whilst minimising the environmental impact of our activities. Some of the main steps we have taken to reduce our impact are:

Recycling all plastic bottles, cardboard, paper, glass and cans
Community green projects/work parties/outreach work
All waste water/toilet waste feeds into our reedbed system
We use low ecological impact cleaning products.

Partners

Sustainable Grazing Project supported by FCC Environment through WREN. Black grouse conservation work is supported by The Famous Grouse.

Site information

Set in the beautiful North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Geltsdale is one of Europe’s most special places for nature. It enjoys legal protection for both its habitats and wildlife.

Geltsdale is a working farm with grazing livestock. You may meet cattle with calves on the reserve trails. Dogs must be under control and on leads in breeding season.

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