Grizedale Forest & Visitor Centre

About

Grizedale Forest nestles in the heart of the Lake District between lakes Windermere and Coniston. Activities range from gentle walks to swinging through the trees on GoApe, enjoying a leisurely meal in the Grizedale Café to exhilarating mountain bike rides.

Our staff at the Visitor Centre and shop can help you plan your visit. There are eight waymarked walking trails ranging from the easy access Ridding Wood Trail to the strenuous Silurian Way, with forty sculptures across the forest to discover. Cyclists can try the North Face single track mountain bike trail as well as the many forest roads.

The Grizedale Cafe serves tasty snacks and meals, with take-away option too.

The GoApe high wire course is a unique aerial adventure. Grizedale Mountain Bike offer cycle hire, including children's bikes and trailers and a shop for bikes and accessories.

The Forestry Commission offers an extensive events program throughout the year, details of which are available on the website. We also offer self-led or led educational visits, these need to be arranged in advance of your visit by contacting Kate Jordan on kate.jordan@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Grizedale Sculpture

There are over 40 sculptures scattered throughout the forest. Many of the sculptures are hidden among the trees, in a place that inspired the artist and you have to search them out. The locations are shown on a map and new sculpture guide, available from the visitor centre and you can visit them on foot or by bike. New sculptures are added each year. Others are allowed to naturally decay back into the forest so the collection is changing all the time.

Grizedale Mountain Bikes

Grizedale Mountain Bikes, based in the heart of Grizedale offer the most extensive selection of hire and demo bikes in the area with the latest hardtail and full suspension demo bikes, plus equipment and clothing for all your biking needs. All hire bikes come with a map and helmet. The team can advise you on where to cycle in the forest, be it waymarked trail or cross country route following a map, and will help you make the most of your day at Grizedale. And don’t forget, after all the cycling you can have a tasty food stop at the Café in the Forest!

Grizedale Forest

Grizedale Forest is a haven for wildlife. It’s home to the only remaining indigenous woodland herd of red deer in England. as well as roe deer, buzzards, barn owls and red kites, from the Grizedale Red Kite reintroduction programme. Look out for all the forest wildlife on your walk or bike ride.

The Brant Wetlands near the Visitor Centre are a great place to see butterflies and dragonflies in the summer whilst the many tarns (small areas of water) scattered across the forest attract other species to drink such as fox and badger.