New visitor facilities on the Forestry Commission estate at Grizedale Forest, near Ambleside in Cumbria will be opened on 18 September by rock climbing expert, Leo Houlding.

The new development, six years in creation and costing £6m (US$9.8m, 6.7m euro), incorporates a modern information centre, improved educational facilities, café, shop, North Face Mountain Bike Trail, bike hire centre and a Go Ape! high-wire assault course. Commenting in advance of the opening, Houlding said: "The Grizedale Project is a great example of how the Forestry Commission and its partners are working hard to meet the expectations of today's visitors in a way that is environmentally and socially sustainable."

Grizedale's forest based art programme 'Art Roots Grizedale' is also aiming to engage people with the development of art in Grizedale Forest and forge new links between contemporary visual art, sculpture and the forest environment. Funding for the Grizedale project has included grants from the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Cumbria Vision, the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund North West Action Plan Partnership, the Lake District National Park Authority Sustainable Development Fund and Defra Rural Enterprise Scheme.