Cheviot Hills

For the neighborhood of Los Angeles, see Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles.

Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot and Coldburn Hill
Cheviot Hills Cheviot Hills shown within Northumberland
OS grid reference	NT905205
List of places UK England Northumberland

The Cheviot Hills are a range of rolling hills straddling the Anglo-Scottish border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. The English section is within the Northumberland National Park. The range includes The Cheviot (the highest hill), plus Hedgehope Hill, Windy Gyle, Cushat Law and Bloodybush Edge.

The Cheviot Hills are primarily associated with geological activity from approximately 480 to 360 million years ago, when the continents of Avalonia and Laurentia collided, resulting in extensive volcanic activity (the Caledonian orogeny) which created a granite outcrop surrounded by lava flows.

The area enjoys a general right to roam under both the English 'Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000' and the Scottish 'Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2004'.

The Southern Cheviots include the Otterburn 'Army Training Estate' (ATE), the UK's largest firing range, where the Ministry of Defence train up to 30,000 soldiers a year.

Description

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.

Although many of the summits top 500 metres, most have a relatively low prominence. Only three rise 150 metres or more above the surrounding terrain: The Cheviot itself, Shillhope Law and Housedon Hill, a small northern outlier (see Marilyn). To the south-west the Cheviots merge into the Kielder Forest group of hills.

Hedgehope Hill and overlooking the Breamish Valley

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.

Geology

The Cheviot Burn

The Cheviot Hills 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 (which Scotland was once on). This created some of the large caledonian igneous provinces throughout the Scottish Highlands.

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.

History

College Valley in the northern Cheviots, near Hethpool

The Cheviot hills were the site of the Battle of Otterburn in 1388, and possibly to a separate bloody battle between English and Scottish forces, after which only 110 people survived, which is described in "The Ballad of Chevy Chase". (Note - the origin of the border skirmishes between Percy, the Earl of Northumberland, and the Scottish Earl of Douglas, may have been a hunt that strayed into Scotland and was interpreted as an invasion.)

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 2000. 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.

Otterburn Army Training Estate

Main article: Otterburn Training Area

The Otterburn Army Training Estate (ATE) covers about 230 square kilometres of the Southern Cheviots, approximately 23% of the Northumberland National Park. 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).

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 Grid reference	Coordinates
CheviotThe Cheviot	815	NT909205
Cairn Hill	777	NT903195
Hedgehope Hill	714	NT944197
Comb Fell (peak to the east of the Fell)	652	NT924187
Windy Gyle	619	NT855153
Cushat Law	615	NT927137
Bloodybush Edge	610	NT903144
SchilThe Schil	601	NT869223
Catcleuch Shinpeak SSW of Catcleuch Shin	579	NT682052
Dunmoor Hill	569	NT967187
CurrThe Curr	564	NT850233
Wholhope Hill	563	NT941117
Beefstand Hill	562	NT821143
Thirl Moor	558	NT806083
Mozie Law	552	NT828150
Carlin Tooth	551	NT631024
Limestone Knowe	551	NT672018
Hartshorn Pike	549	NT627017
Black Hag	549	NT861237
Scald Hill	549	NT927218
Carter Fell	547	NT672035
Yarnspath Law	543	NT884133
Newton Tors: summit	537	NT908269
Girdle Fellpeak at Girdle Fell near White Crags	536	NT697017
King's Seat	531	NT879173
Schill Moor	528	NT944153
Saughieside Hill, Black Hagpeak between Saughieside Hill and Black Hag	528	NT868241
Ravens Knowe	527	NT780062
Horten EdgePeak near Horden Edge	527	NT786073
Preston Hill	526	NT923238
Scrathy Holes	521	NT638031
Newton Tors: Wester Tor	518	NT907273
Newton Tors: Hare Law	518	NT902265
Broadhope Hill	517	NT933234
Grey Mares Knowe	516	NT666003
Ogre Hill	516	NT777069
Lamb Hill	511	NT811133
Outer Golden Pot	505	NT802072
Shillhope Law	501	NT873097

External links

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