| Cheviot Hills | |
|---|---|
 The Cheviot and Coldburn Hill | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | The Cheviot |
| Elevation | 815 m (2,674 ft) |
| Coordinates | 55°28′41″N2°09′07″W / 55.478°N 2.152°W /55.478; -2.152 |
| Geography | |
  Cheviot Hills Location inNorthumberland | |
| Location | Northumberland,England |
| OS grid | NT905205 |
TheCheviot Hills (/ˈtʃiːviət/), or sometimesThe Cheviots, are a range ofuplands straddling theAnglo-Scottish border betweenNorthumberland and theScottish Borders. The English section is within theNorthumberland National Park. The range includesThe Cheviot (the highest hill), plusHedgehope Hill to the east,Windy Gyle to the west, and Cushat Law and Bloodybush Edge to the south.
The hills are sometimes considered a part of theSouthern Uplands of Scotland as they adjoin the uplands to the north. Since thePennine Way runs through the region, the hills are also considered a part of the northernPennines although they are separated from the Cheviot Hills by theTyne Gap, part of which lies within the southern extent of the Northumberland National Park.[1][2]
The Cheviot Hills are primarily associated with geological activity from approximately 480 to 360 million years ago, when the continents ofAvalonia andLaurentia 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 EnglishCountryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the ScottishLand Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
The Southern Cheviots include theOtterburn Training Area, the UK's largest firing range, where theMinistry of Defence train up to 30,000 soldiers a year.
The area is the traditional home of theCheviot sheep breed. It is also the home of Cheviot primitive feral goats, classified as a "Native Breed at Risk".[3]
The Cheviot is the highest hill in the range, and in the whole of Northumberland, at 815 metres (2,674 ft). Other notable tops areHedgehope Hill (714 metres (2,343 ft)),Windy Gyle (619 metres (2,031 ft)), Cushat Law (616 metres (2,021 ft)) and Bloodybush Edge (610 metres (2,000 ft)).[4] 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 theNorthumberland National Park.
Although many of the summits top 500 metres (1,600 ft), most have a relatively lowprominence. Only three rise 150 metres (490 ft) or more above the surrounding terrain: The Cheviot itself,Shillhope Law andHousedon Hill, a small northern outlier (seeMarilyn). To the southwest the Cheviots merge into theKielder Forest group of hills.
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 theRiver Coquet while the northern Cheviot Hills end near the valley of theRiver Tweed.[5]
At the centre of the range is an outcrop of EarlyDevoniangranite, the Cheviot Pluton, which is surrounded bySilurian and Devonian arcandesitic lava flows,tuffs andagglomerates of the Cheviot Volcanic Formation. These are in turn intruded by aswarm of igneousdykes with a predominantlycalc-alkaline chemistry arranged radially around thepluton.[6] Both the pluton and the volcanic rocks owe their origin to the northwardsubduction of theoceanic crust attached to the former micro-continent ofAvalonia beneath theLaurentianplate in the course of theCaledonian orogeny during theOrdovician andSilurian periods.[7][8]
The surrounding lower ground is formed fromCarboniferous Limestone, though much of it is obscured by superficial deposits ofQuaternary age.[7]
To the south of the Cheviot hills was the site of theBattle of Otterburn in 1388, and possibly a separate bloody battle between English and Scottish forces, after which only 110 people survived, which is described in "The Ballad of Chevy Chase". The origin of the border skirmishes between Percy, theEarl of Northumberland, and the ScottishEarl of Douglas may have been a hunt that strayed into Scotland and was interpreted as an invasion.[citation needed] Two other related battles were theBattle of Homildon Hill, fought within the Cheviots nearWooler in 1402, and theBattle of Hedgeley Moor, fought north ofPowburn in 1464.
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 theCountryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Traditional rights of access in Scotland, bolstered by theLand Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, 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 thePennine Way runs fromByrness in England toKirk Yetholm in Scotland. 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 32 kilometres (20 mi) 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.
The town ofWooler in theCheviot Fringe (the lowlands bordering the hills to the east) is often cited as the "Gateway to the Cheviots" as it is the largest town in the Cheviot region; the town also has easy access being on the major A697 road.[9]
Many walking routes have been established, such as:
TheOtterburn Army Training Estate (ATE) covers about 230 square kilometres (90 sq mi) of the Southern Cheviots, approximately 23% of the Northumberland National Park. It is owned by theMinistry 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 fromLindisfarne 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).[13][14][15]
The peaks marked with a warning sign (
) lie within the danger area of the ATE Otterburn artillery range.[citation needed]
Marilyns of Northern England | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. Northumberland |  | |
| 2. Northern Lakeland | ||
| 3. Western Lakeland | ||
| 4. Central and Southern Lakeland | ||
| 5. Eastern Lakeland | ||
| 6. North Pennines and Durham | ||
| 7. Northern Yorkshire Dales | ||
| 8. Southern Yorkshire Dales | ||
| 9. North York Moors to the Humber | ||
| 10. Forest of Bowland | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
