Border Moors & Forests facts for kids

Border Moors and Forests
Woodland in the North Tyne Valley
Location in accordance to other NCAs in Northumberland and Cumbria
Ceremonial county	Northumberland Cumbria
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
List of places UK England

The Border Moors and Forests is a special natural area in northern England. It's like a big, flat, high land between the North East and North West parts of England. This area also touches the border with Scotland.

Just like many other high lands in northern England, not many people live here. You'll find scattered farms and tough sheep farmers in the river valleys. Because it's so quiet, a big part of this area (39%) is inside the Northumberland National Park. This park helps protect the beautiful nature. There are also some old and new military sites here.

This area is a bit lower than the Cheviot Hills to its east. The only main road that goes through is the A68. The landscape is mostly covered by forests of cone-bearing trees (called conifers), open moorland, wet bogs, and damp heaths. This kind of land is mostly good for sheep to graze, except for the river valleys where the soil is better.

Planting many trees, known as Afforestation, has been a big change in this area over the last 100 years. For example, Kielder Forest is the biggest planted forest in northern Europe! But planting so many trees has sometimes damaged the natural bogs and peatlands that were there before.

Because of this, protecting the moors has become a top priority in the 21st century. These moors are home to many different kinds of plants and animals. They also play a super important role in storing carbon, which helps fight climate change.

Rivers and Waterways

This region has many rivers that flow in different directions. Some rivers flow west, and others flow east.

Rivers Flowing East

The North Tyne and Rede rivers start near the Scottish border. They carve out valleys through the high land, creating areas like North Tynedale and Redesdale. These valleys have land that's good for farming. Both the North Tyne and Rede rivers eventually join the River Tyne, which then flows southeast all the way to the North Sea.

The water in the North Tyne is controlled by a huge reservoir called Kielder Water. This reservoir was opened in 1982 and is located in the northern part of the Border Moors and Forests. Around Kielder Water, you'll find a very large planted forest known as the Kielder Forest.

Rivers Flowing West

Further south, the River Lyne and Irthing rivers begin. These rivers flow southwest towards the Solway Firth, which is an inlet of the Irish Sea.