Wainhope

Wainhope bothy is located in a remote area in Kielderhead National Nature Reserve north-west of Kielder Water. As a former farmhouse, it’s a substantial building with two rooms that both can be heated if you have dry firewood at hand. One of the rooms is equipped with a wood-burning stove while the other room has a fireplace. The bothy is easily accessible with bicycles via forestry roads.

This bothy is closed every year between April and September due to conservation reasons. We advise checking on the MBA website first before planning to visit this bothy.

Features

Both rooms have sleeping platforms, stove/fireplace and chairs with a table in them. Outside there is access to a wood barn which not necessarily will have wood, but should have a saw and an axe in it. There is no toilet at this bothy as not many bothies have this luxury. You should walk at least a couple of hundred metres from the bothy and 60 metres from the water supply before excavations and evacuations commence to comply with the MBA rules.

Location

While the bothy doesn’t offer dramatic views over the mountains or lakes, it has views over fields and forests in a remote and peaceful location. There are more forestry roads than hiking trails in the area and most hikers will set this location as their destination rather than passing trough point.

Size

This bothy offers generous accommodation with sleeping platforms in two rooms. Sleeping platform in one room fits 6-8 people and other room fits 2.

Comfort

The Bothy has a larger and a smaller room both with stove/fireplace giving you an option to stay in a smaller room that is easier to heat up. There are chairs and a table in each room for more comfort.

Accessibility

It is a roughly 5-mile hike from Kielder village mostly on good forestry tracks. Because bothy is easily accessible with the bike it’s popular among cyclists. There is paid overnight parking available at the Kielder Castle.