Archaeological sites · Scottish Lowlands
Hamsterley Forest
Hamsterley Forest — near Bishop Auckland.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 45 min–1.5 h
- Nearest railway station
- Witton-le-Wear · 5.8 km
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Hamsterley Forest is an archaeological site in the United Kingdom. Wikidata describes it as: "near Bishop Auckland". Coordinates: 54.6720°, -1.8560°.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: North Pennines
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Hamsterley Forest is a commercial forest in County Durham owned by the Crown and managed by Forestry England. It is the largest forest in County Durham and covers more than 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres). Recreational activities within the forest are focused at the eastern end, around the visitors' centre. In addition to the visitors' centre, there is a cafe, toilet facilities and cycling, walking and running trails.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
During the 1930s, the forest was planted and tracks were built by unemployed men supplied through the Ministry of Labour. Most came from the mining communities and shipyards of the North East of England. They were housed in one of a number of instructional centres created by the Ministry, most of them on Forestry England property. By 1938, the Ministry had 35 such centres across Britain. These were basically work camps, where unemployed men carried out heavy labour and lived on site in wooden huts. The centres were closed in 1938 as unemployment declined in the run-up to war, but some of the huts can still be seen around the visitors' centre, one of which was originally built as the camp's…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.6720, -1.8560
- District
- County Durham
- Parish
- South Bedburn
- Postcode
- DL13 3QH
- Parliamentary constituency
- Bishop Auckland
- Nearest railway station
- Witton-le-Wear — 5.8 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q5646428 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Hamsterley Forest (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Bedburn Beck in autumn, Hamsterley Forest.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Hamsterley Forest?
- Hamsterley Forest is in the Scottish Lowlands, United Kingdom (postcode DL13 3QH), in the parish of South Bedburn.
- Who owns Hamsterley Forest?
- Hamsterley Forest is owned by Forestry England.
- Is Hamsterley Forest a protected site?
- Yes — Hamsterley Forest is part of the North Pennines National Landscape (AONB).
- How do I get to Hamsterley Forest?
- The nearest railway station is Witton-le-Wear, about 5.8 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode DL13 3QH.