Cheviot Hills

From Ring Chesters hill fort

The Cheviot Hills is a range of mountains in Northumberland and Roxburghshire, which forms the northern end of the chain of hills and fells known as the Pennines. The northernmost end of the Pennine Way long-distance footpath is across the Cheviots, finally reaching its end at Kirk Yetholm in Roxburghshire at the foot of the hills.

These are rolling hills of impressive height and bleak aspect at the greatest, but amongst them beautiful dales. 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 Valley
• Harthope
• Breamish
• Bowmont
• Heatherhope Valley.

The southern Cheviot Hills encompass the slopes running down to the valley of the River Coquet.

To the south-west the Cheviots merge into the Kielder Forest group of hills.

Hadrian's Wall, that great Roman defensive work, runs through the southern Cheviots. There is far more history in these hills though, for they were often a bloody battleground from the Middle Ages to the end of the Tudor Age, both in the fratricidal wars between England and Scotland and amongst the reivers who ravaged the border country until King James's days. The famous epic poem The Ballad of Chevy Chase is set amongst these hills, retelling the Battle of Otterburn.

Fells

View from Mallie Side down to the Sourhope with Hownam Law behind

In Kielder Forest

The Cheviot is the highest fell in the range, reaching 2,674 feet; this is the county top of Northumberland, and just a few hundred yards off a subsidiary summit, Cairn Hill West Top, is the county top of Roxburghshire.

Other notable fells in the range are Hedgehope Hill, Windy Gyle, Cushat Law and Bloodybush Edge. Of these, the Cheviot and Windy Gyle stand on the county boundary while the others are within Northumberland. The Northumberland section is within the Northumberland National Park.

The land is all high here and in this landscape the hills generally have low relative height to one another.

Highest fells amongst the Cheviots

Auchope Cairn

The peaks marked with a warning sign lie within the danger area of the ATE Otterburn artillery range.

Name	Height	OS Grid reference	Coordinates
CheviotThe Cheviot	2,674 feet	NT909205	55°28’40"N, 2°8’35"W
Cairn Hill	2,549 feet	NT903195	55°28’10"N, 2°9’10"W
Hedgehope Hill	2,343 feet	NT944197	55°28’15"N, 2°5’20"W
Comb Fell (peak to the east of the Fell)	2,139 feet	NT924187	55°27’40"N, 2°7’10"W
Windy Gyle	2,031 feet	NT855153	55°25’50"N, 2°13’45"W
Cushat Law	2,018 feet	NT927137	55°25’0"N, 2°6’50"W
Bloodybush Edge	2,001 feet	NT903144	55°25’20"N, 2°9’10"W
SchilThe Schil	1,972 feet	NT869223	55°29’45"N, 2°12’30"W
Catcleuch Shinpeak SSW of Catcleuch Shin	1,900 feet	NT682052	55°20’20"N, 2°30’0"W
Dunmoor Hill	1,867 feet	NT967187	55°27’30"N, 2°3’-0"W
CurrThe Curr	1,850 feet	NT850233	55°30’15"N, 2°14’10"W
Wholhope Hill	1,847 feet	NT941117	55°23’50"N, 2°5’40"W
Beefstand Hill	1,844 feet	NT821143	55°25’20"N, 2°16’55"W
Thirl Moor	1,831 feet	NT806083	55°22’10"N, 2°18’20"W
Mozie Law	1,811 feet	NT828150	55°25’45"N, 2°16’10"W
Carlin Tooth	1,808 feet	NT631024	55°18’55"N, 2°34’50"W
Limestone Knowe	1,808 feet	NT672018	55°18’30"N, 2°31’0"W
Hartshorn Pike	1,801 feet	NT627017	55°18’30"N, 2°35’10"W
Black Hag	1,801 feet	NT861237	55°30’25"N, 2°13’5"W
Scald Hill	1,801 feet	NT927218	55°29’20"N, 2°7’0"W
Carter Fell	1,795 feet	NT672035	55°19’25"N, 2°31’0"W
Yarnspath Law	1,781 feet	NT884133	55°24’45"N, 2°10’60"W
Newton Tors: summit	1,762 feet	NT908269	55°32’10"N, 2°8’38"W
Girdle Fellpeak at Girdle Fell near White Crags	1,759 feet	NT697017	55°18’35"N, 2°28’40"W
King's Seat	1,742 feet	NT879173	55°27’0"N, 2°11’30"W
Schill Moor	1,732 feet	NT944153	55°25’50"N, 2°5’15"W
Saughieside Hill, Black Hagpeak between Saughieside Hill and Black Hag	1,732 feet	NT868241	55°30’30"N, 2°12’35"W
Ravens Knowe	1,729 feet	NT780062	55°21’0"N, 2°20’45"W
Horten Edge Peak near Horden Edge	1,729 feet	NT786073	55°21’30"N, 2°20’20"W
Preston Hill	1,726 feet	NT923238	55°30’25"N, 2°7’20"W
Scrathy Holes	1,709 feet	NT638031	55°19’15"N, 2°34’10"W
Newton Tors: Wester Tor	1,699 feet	NT907273	55°32’50"N, 2°8’40"W
Newton Tors: Hare Law	1,699 feet	NT902265	55°31’50"N, 2°9’-0"W
Broadhope Hill	1,696 feet	NT933234	55°30’15"N, 2°6’20"W
Grey Mares Knowe	1,693 feet	NT666003	55°17’40"N, 2°31’30"W
Ogre Hill	1,693 feet	NT777069	55°21’20"N, 2°21’10"W
Lamb Hill	1,677 feet	NT811133	55°24’45"N, 2°18’-0"W
Outer Golden Pot	1,657 feet	NT802072	55°21’30"N, 2°18’45"W
Shillhope Law	1,644 feet	NT873097	55°22’50"N, 2°12’0"W

Geology

Hen Hole, Cairn Hill

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 Cheviots are associated with Devonian volcanics. They are arc andesites and basalts and chemistry predominantly calc-alkaline. The formation of the hills was as a result of the Avalonia - Laurentia collision during the Ordovician which subducted the Avalonian crust underneath the Laurentian plate. This created some of the large caledonian igneous provinces throughout the Highlands.

Access

Most of the Northumberland part of the range 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 2000. Roxburghshire enjoys the traditional rights of access of Scottish law. 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 (where a fence follows the county boundary on the bleak fell height) for nearly 20 miles 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 Otterburn Army Training Estate (ATE) covers about 90 square miles of the Southern Cheviots. It is owned by the Ministry of Defence, 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 northeast 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).

Outside links

• Walking guides on the Defence Estate, including Otterburn - Ministry of Defence

References

• The topology and climate of Northumberland National Park: Northumberland National Park Authority