Cheviot Hills
Encyclopedia
The Cheviot Hills is a range of rolling hills straddling the England–Scotland border
between Northumberland
and the Scottish Borders
.
There is a broad split between the northern and the southern Cheviots. The former encompass most of the high ground and are pierced by five main valleys:
The southern Cheviot hills encompass the slopes running down to the valley of the river Coquet
.
The Cheviot
is the highest hill in the range at 2,674 ft (815 m). Other notable tops are Hedgehope Hill
, Windy Gyle
, Cushat Law and Bloodybush Edge. Of the hills mentioned, only Windy Gyle has its summit on the border. The rest are all within England. The English section is protected within the Northumberland National Park
.
The centre of the range comprises a Devonian
granite
outcrop surrounded by Silurian
and Devonian andesite
lava flows on each side. These are in turn intruded by igneous dykes arranged radially around the Cheviot pluton
. The surrounding lower ground is formed from Carboniferous Limestone
though much of it is obscured by superficial deposist of Quaternary
age.
The topography of the hills leads to the summits generally having low relative height
. Only three are Marilyns
; The Cheviot itself, Shillhope Law
and Housedon Hill
, a small northern outlier. To the south-west the Cheviots merge into the Kielder Forest group of hills.
The hills were the site of a battle between English and Scottish forces in The Ballad of Chevy Chase
.
The Cheviot was first conquered by motorcycle in the early 1930s by two local shepherds, brothers George and Robert Mole, George on an AJS (believed to be a 350, actual model unknown) and Robert on a Francis Barnett (model unknown). They worked in the College valley and regularly took their bikes out on shepherding forays, frequently accommodating a collie on the petrol tank. They went onto the top of Cheviot several times and this was done from the College valley side via Hen Hole.
. Traditional rights of access in Scotland, bolstered by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 provide for similar access for the public to the north of the border. In addition, a sparse network of public bridleways and footpaths stretches around the area, often providing useful means of access from the lower ground onto the open hills.
The northernmost leg of the Pennine Way
runs from Byrness
to Kirk Yetholm
. It is the longest, and most exposed, on the whole of the national trail. The Way follows the high level Border Ridge (literally the England–Scotland boundary fence) for nearly 20 miles (30 km) after the ascent to the ridge from Byrness. The terrain is boggy and remote, and two mountain refuge huts are situated on the Way for those too tired or weather-beaten to continue.
Army Training Estate (ATE) covers about 230 square kilometres of the Southern Cheviots. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD)
, and used for training some 30,000 soldiers a year. Otterburn is the UK's largest firing range, and is in frequent use — artillery can be clearly heard from Lindisfarne
to the north-east and Fontburn Reservoir in the south. Because of this, recreational use of the area is restricted, although it is possible for the public to use some parts of the estate subject to the relevant bylaws. The MoD publishes a booklet, Walks on Ministry of Defence Lands, which offers advice on this matter (see link below).
) lie within the danger area of the ATE Otterburn artillery range.
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
between Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
and the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
.
There is a broad split between the northern and the southern Cheviots. The former encompass most of the high ground and are pierced by five main valleys:
- College ValleyCollege ValleyThe College Valley is one of five cuttings into the Cheviot Hills. The valley is owned by College Valley Estates which in turn is funded by a trust created by Sir James Knott MP....
- Harthope
- BreamishBreamishBreamish is a village in Northumberland, England.- Governance :Breamish is in the parliamentary constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed....
- Bowmont
- and the Heatherhope valley.
The southern Cheviot hills encompass the slopes running down to the valley of the river Coquet
River Coquet
The River Coquet runs through the county of Northumberland, England, discharging into the North Sea on the east coast of England at Amble. Warkworth Castle is built in a loop of the Coquet....
.
The Cheviot
The Cheviot
The Cheviot is the highest summit in the Cheviot Hills in the far north of England, only 2 km from the Scottish border. It is the last major peak on the Pennine Way, if travelling from south to north, before the descent into Kirk Yetholm....
is the highest hill in the range at 2,674 ft (815 m). Other notable tops are Hedgehope Hill
Hedgehope Hill
Hedgehope Hill is a mountain in the Cheviot Hills of North Northumberland in North East England.At a height of and a distance of about from the Scottish border, it is best climbed from Langleeford in the Harthorpe Valley, over which it looms. A slightly gentler climb, though a longer distance is...
, Windy Gyle
Windy Gyle
Windy Gyle is a hill in the Cheviot Hills, right on the border between England and Scotland. It lies on the border ridge, and like the other hills in the area is rounded and grass-covered. Although maps show the border passing right through the summit, the summit cairn lies a few metres north of...
, Cushat Law and Bloodybush Edge. Of the hills mentioned, only Windy Gyle has its summit on the border. The rest are all within England. The English section is protected within the Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than 1030 km² between the Scottish Border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall. It is one of the least populated and least visited of the National Parks...
.
The centre of the range comprises a Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
outcrop surrounded by Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
and Devonian andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
lava flows on each side. These are in turn intruded by igneous dykes arranged radially around the Cheviot pluton
Pluton
A pluton in geology is a body of intrusive igneous rock that crystallized from magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Plutons include batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, lopoliths, and other igneous bodies...
. The surrounding lower ground is formed from Carboniferous Limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
though much of it is obscured by superficial deposist of Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
age.
The topography of the hills leads to the summits generally having low relative height
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
. Only three are Marilyns
Marilyn (hill)
A Marilyn is a mountain or hill in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or Isle of Man with a relative height of at least 150 metres , regardless of absolute height or other merit...
; The Cheviot itself, Shillhope Law
Shillhope Law
Shillhope Law is a hill in the southern Cheviots, a range of hills in Northumberland, England. Shillhope Law is a relatively unremarkable member of this group; in common with its neighbours it has a small summit and steep, grassy sides falling to deeply incised valleys on either side...
and Housedon Hill
Housedon Hill
Housedon Hill is a hill on the northwestern edge of the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland, England. It is the northernmost Marilyn in England, the summit lying only about 6 km away from the Scottish border, which runs to the north and east....
, a small northern outlier. To the south-west the Cheviots merge into the Kielder Forest group of hills.
The hills were the site of a battle between English and Scottish forces in The Ballad of Chevy Chase
The Ballad of Chevy Chase
There are two extant English ballads known as The Ballad of Chevy Chase, both of which narrate the same story. As ballads existed within oral tradition before being written down, other versions of this once popular song may also have existed....
.
The Cheviot was first conquered by motorcycle in the early 1930s by two local shepherds, brothers George and Robert Mole, George on an AJS (believed to be a 350, actual model unknown) and Robert on a Francis Barnett (model unknown). They worked in the College valley and regularly took their bikes out on shepherding forays, frequently accommodating a collie on the petrol tank. They went onto the top of Cheviot several times and this was done from the College valley side via Hen Hole.
Access
Most of the range on the English side is mapped as 'open country' and hence there is a general right to roam over it as prescribed in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 is a UK Act of Parliament which came into force on 30 November 2000.As of September 2007, not all sections of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act have yet come into force...
. Traditional rights of access in Scotland, bolstered by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 provide for similar access for the public to the north of the border. In addition, a sparse network of public bridleways and footpaths stretches around the area, often providing useful means of access from the lower ground onto the open hills.
The northernmost leg of the Pennine Way
Pennine Way
The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England. The trail runs from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes...
runs from Byrness
Byrness
Located in Northumberland, Byrness the last village in England before the A68 climbs the Cheviot Hills to cross Carter Bar into Scotland. It is situated approximately to the north-west of Newcastle on the A68. Byrness's village church features a stained-glass window commemorating the workers who...
to Kirk Yetholm
Kirk Yetholm
Kirk Yetholm is a village in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland, south east of Kelso and less than west of the border. The first mention is of its church in the 13th century. Its sister town is Town Yetholm which lies half a mile across the Bowmont Water...
. It is the longest, and most exposed, on the whole of the national trail. The Way follows the high level Border Ridge (literally the England–Scotland boundary fence) for nearly 20 miles (30 km) after the ascent to the ridge from Byrness. The terrain is boggy and remote, and two mountain refuge huts are situated on the Way for those too tired or weather-beaten to continue.
Otterburn Army Training Estate
The OtterburnOtterburn, Northumberland
Otterburn is a small village in Northumberland, England, northwest of Newcastle Upon Tyne on the banks of the River Rede, near the confluence of the Otter Burn, from which the village derives its name. It lies within the Cheviot Hills about from the Scottish border...
Army Training Estate (ATE) covers about 230 square kilometres of the Southern Cheviots. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD)
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, and used for training some 30,000 soldiers a year. Otterburn is the UK's largest firing range, and is in frequent use — artillery can be clearly heard from Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...
to the north-east and Fontburn Reservoir in the south. Because of this, recreational use of the area is restricted, although it is possible for the public to use some parts of the estate subject to the relevant bylaws. The MoD publishes a booklet, Walks on Ministry of Defence Lands, which offers advice on this matter (see link below).
Peaks over 500 metres in the Cheviot Hills
The peaks marked with a warning sign () lie within the danger area of the ATE Otterburn artillery range.| Name | Height (m) | OS Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with... Grid reference British national grid reference system The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude.... |
Coordinates Geographic coordinate system A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on the Earth to be specified by a set of numbers. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represent vertical position, and two or three of the numbers represent horizontal position... |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cheviot The Cheviot The Cheviot is the highest summit in the Cheviot Hills in the far north of England, only 2 km from the Scottish border. It is the last major peak on the Pennine Way, if travelling from south to north, before the descent into Kirk Yetholm.... |
815 | 55°28′40"N 2°08′35"W | |
| Cairn Hill | 777 | 55°28′10"N 2°09′10"W | |
| Hedgehope Hill Hedgehope Hill Hedgehope Hill is a mountain in the Cheviot Hills of North Northumberland in North East England.At a height of and a distance of about from the Scottish border, it is best climbed from Langleeford in the Harthorpe Valley, over which it looms. A slightly gentler climb, though a longer distance is... |
714 | 55°28′15"N 2°05′20"W | |
| Comb Fell (peak to the east of the Fell) | 652 | 55°27′40"N 2°07′10"W | |
| Windy Gyle Windy Gyle Windy Gyle is a hill in the Cheviot Hills, right on the border between England and Scotland. It lies on the border ridge, and like the other hills in the area is rounded and grass-covered. Although maps show the border passing right through the summit, the summit cairn lies a few metres north of... |
619 | 55°25′50"N 2°13′45"W | |
| Cushat Law | 615 | 55°25′00"N 2°06′50"W | |
| Bloodybush Edge | 610 | 55°25′20"N 2°09′10"W | |
| The Schil | 601 | 55°29′45"N 2°12′30"W | |
| peak SSW of Catcleuch Shin | 579 | | | 55°20′20"N 2°30′00"W |
| Dunmoor Hill | 569 | 55°27′30"N 2°03′00"W | |
| The Curr | 564 | | | 55°30′15"N 2°14′10"W |
| Wholhope Hill | 563 | 55°23′50"N 2°05′40"W | |
| Beefstand Hill | 562 | 55°25′20"N 2°16′55"W | |
| Thirl Moor |
558 | 55°22′10"N 2°18′20"W | |
| Mozie Law | 552 | 55°25′45"N 2°16′10"W | |
| Carlin Tooth | 551 | 55°18′55"N 2°34′50"W | |
| Limestone Knowe | 551 | 55°18′30"N 2°31′00"W | |
| Hartshorn Pike | 549 | 55°18′30"N 2°35′10"W | |
| Black Hag | 549 | 55°30′25"N 2°13′05"W | |
| Scald Hill | 549 | 55°29′20"N 2°07′00"W | |
| Carter Fell | 547 | 55°19′25"N 2°31′00"W | |
| Yarnspath Law | 543 | 55°24′45"N 2°11′00"W | |
| Newton Tors: summit | 537 | 55°32′10"N 2°08′38"W | |
| peak at Girdle Fell near White Crags | 536 | 55°18′35"N 2°28′40"W | |
| King's Seat | 531 | 55°27′00"N 2°11′30"W | |
| Schill Moor | 528 | 55°25′50"N 2°05′15"W | |
| peak between Saughieside Hill and Black Hag | 528 | 55°30′30"N 2°12′35"W | |
| Ravens Knowe | 527 | 55°21′00"N 2°20′45"W | |
| Peak near Horden Edge |
527 | 55°21′30"N 2°20′20"W | |
| Preston Hill | 526 | 55°30′25"N 2°07′20"W | |
| Scrathy Holes | 521 | 55°19′15"N 2°34′10"W | |
| Newton Tors: Wester Tor | 518 | 55°32′50"N 2°08′40"W | |
| Newton Tors: Hare Law | 518 | 55°31′50"N 2°09′00"W | |
| Broadhope Hill | 517 | 55°30′15"N 2°06′20"W | |
| Grey Mares Knowe | 516 | 55°17′40"N 2°31′30"W | |
| Ogre Hill | 516 | 55°21′20"N 2°21′10"W | |
| Lamb Hill | 511 | 55°24′45"N 2°18′00"W | |
| Outer Golden Pot |
505 | 55°21′30"N 2°18′45"W | |
| Shillhope Law Shillhope Law Shillhope Law is a hill in the southern Cheviots, a range of hills in Northumberland, England. Shillhope Law is a relatively unremarkable member of this group; in common with its neighbours it has a small summit and steep, grassy sides falling to deeply incised valleys on either side... |
501 | 55°22′50"N 2°12′00"W | |
External links
- Walking guides on the Defence Estate, including Otterburn - Ministry of DefenceMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....