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Border Ridge above Bryness |
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> map of Cheviots |  |
> 5-day forecast for Wooler |  |
> Photos of previous trips |
Introduction
The rounded grassy slopes of the Cheviot hills mark the border between England and Scotland. Many of the peaks along the main watershead are in both countries, though the highest point of the range lies solely in England. This hill, somewhat confusingly known as The Cheviot, is 2674' in height and may be climbed from Wooler, a delightful Northumbrian town that is often the destination of NUFWS daytrips to this area.
Walks in the Cheviots may also start from the Scottish side.
In all, the Cheviots offer big skies and a real feeling of space. There are many waterfalls and burns, and wide areas of open moor. The area has long been underpopulated - a legacy of the time of the Reivers. These bands of warring families took advantage of the fact that the Borders area was not in reality governed by either England or Scotland. They would terrorise this lawless region, stealing property and rustling sheep. Only after the Union of Crowns in 1603 did the did families such as the Grahams begin to mend their ways and settle down.
Despite the apparent desolation, if ones looks more closely, there is much evidence of the long period of settlement in the area. Iron age hill forts, Anglian settlements and the remains of the 'peel towers' built as defence against the Reivers are all to be seen amongst the rolling hills. The only inhabitants of these once mighty structures however tend to be sheep, or possibly the curlew, the bird that has become a symbol of the area.
Wooler is a well established market town, and offers a choice of eating and drinking establishments.
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