The Cheviot Hills

by: Geoff Holland
The Cheviot Hills stand on the northern edge of England at the heart of the Northumberland National Park. They roll over the border into Scotland like a tide of small green waves. These are wild and expansive hills where the echo of history can be heard from every windswept hill and in every tranquil valley. This is ideal walking country. On each of the eight self-guided walks the reader will uncover a small piece of the Cheviot jigsaw. They will follow less than ordinary routes to summit cairns and distant views. Along the way they will encounter cleughs, burns, sikes, crags, shins, dodds, hopes, linns, shanks and a whole lot more. This is an appetite whetting selection of walks in the Cheviot Hills.

Each walk chapter begins with a short description of the route plus practical data including distance, ascent, terrain, time and start point with grid reference. Each walk has also been assigned a Ferguson Grading System rating and the book gives details of this system and how to interpret the grades which are used to give you an understanding of the difficulty of the route from the point of view of navigation, physical exertion and safety. The book includes an informative introduction to the area and is illustrated with colour and black and white photographs.

The guide does not include any sketch maps, but the route finding directions are detailed and include grid references for all the key points along the way. You will therefore need Ordnance Survey explorer map OL16 to confirm your position. We would not advise walking in the exposed Cheviots without an OS Explorer map and compass even using a guide that included sketch maps.

The circular walk titles are:
Harthorpe Circuit - 14.25 miles
Hills of Wooler - 10 miles
Whitelands of Biddlestone - 8.5 miles
Alnhammoor round - 9.5 miles
Winding road to Windy Gyle - 10.25 miles
High circuit of the Usway Burn - 10.25 miles
Hethpool border circuit - 9 miles
High level along the Scottish border line - 10 miles

ISBN 9781905444335 Pages 88 (2010) 148mm x 210mm