Kielder Skyspace

Warning: it’s a long drive to Kielder from anywhere, and if you’re not staying the night, it’s a long dark drive back if you go for the dusk viewing as we did.
From the Kielder Castle car park there’s a clearly signed route to the Skyspace, a good 20 – 25 minutes uphill walk. We raced there to beat the darkness only to find the internal lights were broken, so we didn’t see it the way it was intended. Nevertheless, it’s in a beautiful setting with views over Kielder, and there was a full moon. No one else turned up, on a Friday night too- almost as if they had something better to do – so we sat in solitude for 30 minutes or so until it just got too cold (September) and dark. Even without the intended changing internal lighting, sitting in a small echoing round chamber, open to the sky, with a perfect circle of gravel under the opening, you just have to sit back and watch the sky slowly darken. It’s as if you’re waiting for something to happen, some revelation, and it helps if you’ve just come from a day’s walking and really NEED to sit down and take time out.

The route up and down is lit by marker lamps, but you’re still well advised to take a torch for the bit on the road.

I can’t recommend it enough, it was a truly unforgettable experience.

A fully enclosed cylinder buried beneath the sky. A beautiful statement about human visual perception, it can be chaotic or calm. It is one of several installations around the world.