Exceptional business opportunities created in Lake District forests

Exceptional business opportunities have been created by the Forestry Commission at two of the Lake District’s most popular visitor destinations.Two of the Forestry Commission’s forests, Grizedale Forest, near Hawkshead, and Whinlatter Forest, near Keswick, are giving entrepreneurs a chance to run the shops located in the heart of their visitor centres.
Grizedale Forest welcomes around 220,000 visitors each year and Whinlatter hosts around 250,000 visitors a year from people who enjoy the forests’ purpose-built mountain biking trails, sculptures and miles of walking paths to those who come to spot wildlife such as red kites, ospreys, red squirrels and red deer.

Tim Oliver, Forestry Commission head of recreation and public affairs for the North England Forest District, said: “This is a rare and fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs to set up business in the heart of two of the Lake District’s most popular forests.

“Our forests receive hundreds of thousands of visits each year from people who come to enjoy the many wonderful activities on offer in the natural environments of Whinlatter and Grizedale. This provides excellent footfall for businesses setting up in the shop spaces within the forest centres.

“We are looking forward to hearing from people who can add to the already excellent visitor experience at Grizedale and Whinlatter and help support the local rural economy of the Lake District.”

Grizedale has a thriving £6 million visitor centre, which was launched in 2009 and contains The Café in the Forest, Grizedale Mountain Bikes bike hire, and one of the country’s busiest GoApe high-wire courses.

Whinlatter contains Siskin’s Café, Cyclewise bike hire and shop, a GoApe course, an exhibition space,and the innovative WhinlatterWildPlay adventure trail for children and young people.

People who are interested in operating from either, or both, of the shop premises should visit XXX to find out more details and to download tender documents.

Grizedale offers miles of waymarked walking routes, and has more than 60 sculptures set throughout the forest.

The forest is also criss-crossed by a wide network of way-marked biking routes and the North Face mountain bike trail that provide huge amounts of fun for two-wheeled adventurers.

Whinlatter offers adventure for all with miles of way-marked walking routes and the WhinlatterWildPlay trail for children of all ages.

The forest is also hugely popular wide amongst mountain bikers for its Altura and Quercus single track trails that provide great of fun for adrenaline junkies.

For more information about Grizedale and Whinlatter forests see www.visitlakelandforests.co.uk