Grizedale Forest

Grizedale Forest
View of the northern part of Grizedale Forest
Location	Lake District, England
Nearest city	Carlisle
Coordinates	54°20′25″N 3°01′25″W / 54.34028°N 3.02361°W / 54.34028; -3.02361Coordinates: 54°20′25″N 3°01′25″W / 54.34028°N 3.02361°W / 54.34028; -3.02361
Area	24.47 km²
Visitors	200,000 (in 2006)
Governing body	National Trust and the Lake District National Park Authority

Grizedale Forest is a 24.47 km² area of woodland in the Lake District of North West England, located to the east of Coniston Water and to the south of Hawkshead. It is made up of a number of hills, small tarns and the settlements of Grizedale and Satterthwaite. It is managed by the Forestry Commission and is a popular tourist destination with waymarked footpaths, mountain biking, an aerial assault course, a 16-bed hostel, and a visitor centre with a children's playground, education centre, café and shop. The car-parking of Grizedale Forest Visitors Centre is situated on the site of the former Grizedale Hall where its remains can be still seen. The forest is also used for two annual rallies: the Malcolm Wilson Rally and the Grizedale Stages Rally, based in Coniston.

At the forest along the trail there is a high ropes course which consists of ziplines, rope crossings and Tarzan swings. There is a 10-year-old age limit and a minimum height of 4 ft 7 inches (139.4cm).

Scattered throughout the forest are approximately 90 sculptures, often made from naturally occurring materials such as stone and wood. The project to place sculptures in the forest was started by the Grizedale Society in 1977 and won the 1990 Prudential Award for the Arts. Sculptors have included David Nash, Sally Matthews Andy Goldsworthy, Walter Bailey and Michael Winstone.

One quarter of the 200,000 visitors to Grizedale per year cycle. A new 9.7 mile mountain biking trail, the £167,000 North Face Trail, was opened in March 2006.