THE MUCKLE CHEVIOT CIRCUIT
The head of the College Valley is a wild and lonely place. The broad, green slopes
of West Hill, on the shoulder of the mighty Cheviot, climb steeply to the east,
whilst to the west the Schil dominates the skyline. The
ice sculpted cleft of the Hen Hole separates West Hill from Auchope
Cairn and draws the enquiring eye into its buttress flanked depths. The border
between England and Scotland lies to the south, crossing the saddle between Auchope Cairn and the aptly named Red Cribs. This walk,
which starts in the neighbouring Harthope
Valley and passes through the secluded Lambden
Valley, takes you on an out of the ordinary journey, offering extensive views
into Scotland and to the Northumberland North Sea coast. It crosses the highest
hill in the county as it follows an exhilarating and lung expanding route.
The Lambden Valley
from the slopes of
Preston Hill
The Walk
1. Described by William Weaver Tomlinson in his
1888 book, `Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland` as, “A moorland glen - one
of the most charming on the Borders - through which runs a splashing streamlet,
fringed with patches of gorse and belts of natural wood”, the Harthope Valley
lies south west of the north Northumberland town of Wooler.
The `highlight` of the delightful 5 mile drive into the valley is the descent
of the steep hill commonly referred to as Skirl Naked after the cottage which
stands at the top of the hill. This cottage was once called a slightly more
romantic Shining Pool. The road, in fact, cuts across the hillside known as Armour Bank, referred to by W. W. Tomlinson, and shown on
earlier maps, as `Armer Brae`. There is adequate
roadside parking where the Hawsen Burn meets with the
Harthope Burn (NT 953225). Alongside the Hawsen Burn is a circular stone sheep stell,
a common sight in the Cheviot Hills, and this marks the beginning of the walk. It is also the starting
point of the 6.2 mile, out and back, 2007 inaugurated Cheviot Summit Fell Race. Your walk
to the monolithic triangulation pillar takes a rather more circuitous route.
2. With your back to the stell
and the Hawsen Burn to your left, climb straight up
the facing slope to pick up a clear path, heading in a north westerly direction
up the narrow valley. You will stay with this valley for its full length. Soon
you will join a rough stone track and after a further 200 metres
you will reach a directional fingerpost on your left. At this point, leave the
track and follow the thin public footpath passing presently another circular
stone sheep stell. Keep with the thin path and do not
be tempted to rejoin the track which runs just above you. As you climb, take
time for a backwards glance at Housey Crags, standing
high above the fast disappearing Harthope Valley. Eventually as the gradient eases,
the burn is left behind and the thin path cuts across the heather covered col between Broadhope and Scald
Hills. Along the way you will pass a further two directional fingerposts. On
reaching a fence (NT 935229), you
will be standing at the head of the remote Lambden
Valley but before entering the valley you will need to turn right for some 200 metres as far as the five bar gate and the adjoining step
stile. Cross over the step stile and continue straight ahead. To your left, the
bulk of The Cheviot looms over you like a moody giant as you head downhill
towards an old forestry track. On reaching this track, turn right in the
direction of a small plantation and, in turn, cross over the remains of a step
stile next to a five bar gate. Follow the yellow public footpath arrows into
the plantation and continue on a thin path through the trees. On reaching
daylight once again, head diagonally down the lower slopes of Preston Hill.
Keeping on a westwards course and following the yellow arrows first ford the Lambden Burn and then on reaching the opposite bank climb
over the step stile next to the trees alongside the burn. Soon you will come to
the Goldscleugh Burn, step over, turn left and, after
going through two five bar gates, pass behind the farm buildings (NT 913233) and head across the field
towards the gate and the public footpath signpost.
Newton Tors, Dunsdale Crag and Coldburn Hill
3. The farmstead of Goldscleugh
is one of only three properties in the valley and the only one which is still
occupied as a permanent dwelling. The remaining two, Dunsdale
and Coldburn, have been extensively refurbished and
are now used as holiday lets. Once through the gate, turn
left and enjoy a pleasant 1 mile stroll along the tarmac valley road
with the Lambden Burn wandering below you on your
right. The steep sides of Coldburn Hill climb away to
the north. The whitewashed buildings of Dunsdale
stand at the base of an interesting cleft in the north face of the Cheviot
known as the Bizzle. With its exposed mass of
granite, this area has witnessed over the years several winter fatalities. In
1988 two climbers were killed by a snow avalanche on Bizzle
Crags. Turn left towards the cottage and, following the public footpath, pass
behind the buildings and then continue a short distance uphill on a stone track
towards the forest edge, a large part of which has been recently harvested. Now
you must make sure that you pick up the faint quad track (NT 896231) to your
left and just beyond the fence which heads uphill. The track climbs in a
generally southerly direction keeping to the west of Bizzle
Crags. The really hard work now gets underway as you commence an unremitting
climb, covering a fraction over 1 mile in distance, aiming for the unmistakeable rocky outcrop of Braydon
Crag. But this is not yet in view. Be sure, as you go, to take time to turn
your head and enjoy the outstanding views, especially to Newton Tors,
Coldburn Hill and Dunsdale
Crag. You will be thankful for a `breather` or two! When, after a while, the
ground levels off head diagonally to your right targeting the five bar gate in
the facing post and wire fence. Go through the gate and, aiming just to the
left of the small crags ahead, you should be able to pick up a very faint track
up the steep hillside. When the track fades, turn towards the crags and once
there continue straight uphill passing a number of small rocky outcrops. The
visible Braydon Crag now lies straight ahead.
3. The impressive Braydon Crag (NT
893214) is part of a circle of hardened rocks, known as a metamorphic
aureole, which surrounds the 815 metre high Cheviot. Other examples of this
aureole can be seen, west of the summit, in the Hen Hole and on the Schil. The crag is perhaps best known as the place where a bomb laden U.S. Army Air Force B17
Flying Fortress crashed during
a late afternoon blizzard in December 1944. Before the bombs exploded, two
local shepherds from Dunsdale and Southernknowe,
guided by sheepdog Sheila, found four of the crew alive sheltering in a peat
hole, whilst a further three found their own way off the hill to Mounthooly. Sadly, the remaining two members of the crew
died in the crash. The ashes of the pilot, George Kyle, who survived the crash,
were scattered across this area on the
4th October 2006 in accordance with his final wishes.
The crash site lies to the south of the crag, approximately 200 metres beyond
the peat line. From Braydon Crag, a faint,
intermittent track contours the hill in a generally southerly direction, just
below the prominent peat hags, as far as the next unnamed, cairn topped outcrop
of rock, three-quarters of a mile away. On reaching the first and lower of the
two crags you will need to turn slightly to your left and walk the short
distance to the second and substantially larger crag (NT 889206). Here there are two extremely impressive stone men. The
views from this tremendous spot are outstanding, as you stand, at a height of
709 metres, looking across the Hen Hole to Auchope
Cairn and down to the head of the picturesque College
Valley.
Towards the College Valley from
Braydon Crag
4. Leave the crag by
a faint path, first heading north easterly and then turning south, contouring
above the corrie of the Hen Hole around the 700 metre contour. This is perhaps
the finest stretch of walking in the Cheviot Hills
with the views into the Hen Hole and beyond quite breathtaking. In her 1923
book, `Northumberland`, writer Agnes Herbert wrote that she had been told that
“if you were near the weird chasm of the Hen Hole at just the right moment, on
just the right day, you will hear the horn of the hunter who was lured into the
sombre glen by a mountain fairy”. So, as you continue forwards, keep your ears
well and truly tuned; today might just be that day! Eventually, the path splits
in two and, at this point, be sure to take the right hand fork which drops down
into the upper reaches of the Hen Hole. Cross the College Burn just above a
surprise waterfall (NT 894197) and, once on the other side, turn right to
follow the thin hillside contouring path for a short distance. Leave this path
by ascending a rather bare and crumbling stretch of hillside which very quickly
leads you, over a peat `step`, onto flatter ground. The border fence and the
duckboards of the Pennine Way now lie little more than 50 metres ahead and are clearly visible. On
reaching the `security` of the duckboards (NT 893196), turn right and a short
walk will deliver you to the stone men perched along the rocky edge of Auchope Cairn and to yet another outstanding panorama. As
you look towards the College Valley and to the seemingly endless hills beyond,
the post and wire fence to your left is the flimsy international border between
England and Scotland. In his 1976 book, `Walking the Scottish
Border`, writer and broadcaster Bob Langley recounted how the first attempt to
build a refuge hut on the Border ridge had met with disaster. The hut was
constructed by the 1st Battalion of the Black Watch
in 1968, just below the fence to the west of the summit of Auchope
Cairn, and Bob recalled “looking for it one windy weekend and finding that the
building had been literally blown to bits”. He found the building “strewn all
over the place - a door here, a wall there - and like Humpty - Dumpty, not all the king`s men
could have put it together again”.
5. As you turn your back
on this exceptional view and continue your journey south eastwards along the
duckboards of the well trodden Pennine Way,
the border fence will be your guide for the short distance to the next
signpost. Here, at a meeting of fences (NT
896193), you must turn left to make your way to the highest point of the
walk. Early Pennine Way
guidebooks were less than complimentary about this out and back deviation from
the main Edale to Kirk Yetholm
route, a necessary evil it would seem, only for the purists. In his 1967 guide,
Christopher John Wright wrote, “….the plateau is covered by an extensive waste
of peat hags and bogs….”, whilst Tom Stephenson, a self-confessed fan of the Cheviot
Hills, writing in 1969 said, “…..Cheviot is a wide featureless
plateau with some peat groughs”. Some 16 years later, none other than A. Wainwright
added his weight to the `Is it really worth the effort` argument when he wrote,
“…..the Cheviot seen across an uninviting morass of peat and bog”, adding for
good measure, “…..supermen may take it in their stride, but lesser mortals are
better advised to leave it alone”. No problem these days, the once treacherous
route is now mainly paved with stone slabs recovered from derelict cotton
mills. Route finding is without problem as you first pass, on your right hand
side, Cairn Hill and then a small lough, a permanent
feature even in the driest of summers, before eventually arriving at the huge
triangulation topped summit.
Looking into the Hen Hole from
the unnamed crag
6. Standing at a
height of 815 metres, the Cheviot is known affectionately as `Muckle Cheviot`, meaning `large or great`. Whilst the views
from the actual top are not extensive, they are better seen along the way, a
certain Daniel Defoe, when describing his visit here in 1726, seemed, after a
decidedly uncertain start to the day, more than satisfied with the end result.
He wrote, “The day happened to be very clear, and to our great satisfaction
very calm, otherwise the height we were upon would not be without its dangers.
We saw plainly here the smoke of the salt-pans at Shields, at the mouth of the
Tyne, seven miles below Newcastle, and which was south about forty miles”. How
the world has changed! Continue across the summit plateau and when you reach
the ladder stile, cross over and start your descent, with the fence
to your left, towards Scald Hill. Heading quickly downwards, the temptation is
to break into a run, you will enjoy fine views to the Harthope Valley and beyond to the Northumberland coast. Immediately after a
short, often boggy, col a quick and easy climb dumps
you on the top of the 549 metre high Scald Hill. Continue downhill and
when, after a short while, the fence turns to the north (NT 933221), you must
bear to your right along a clear, rutted path heading in a generally easterly
direction. To your right lies the second and third highest of the Cheviot Hills, the majestic Hedgehope Hill and the not quite so impressive Comb Fell.
Now it is just a simple matter of enjoying the rest of the easy descent,
with continuing views of the Harthope Valley laid out below you. After crossing the trickle of the New Burn you
will immediately arrive at the tarmac valley road so be sure to turn left for
the final few hundred metres meander back to the Hawsen
Burn and your own personal `finishing line`.
|
Distance
|
18.5km ( 11.5 miles )
|
|
Total
Ascent
|
840 metres
|
|
Grading
|
Strenuous
|
|
Start
& Key Grid References
|
Near Hawsen Burn, Harthope Valley (NT 953225), (NT935229), (NT
913233), (NT 896231), (NT 893214), (NT 889206), (NT 894197), (NT 893196), (NT
896193) & (NT 933221)
|
|
Time
|
5.5 hours
|
|
Nearest
Town
|
Wooler
|
|
Terrain
|
Mixed
fell with steep ascents & descents, some good paths, a gravel track, two stretches
of tarmac & sections of pathless terrain.
|
|
Maps
|
OS
Explorer ( 1:25000 ) OL 16. Harveys
Superwalker ( 1:40000 ) The Cheviot Hills
|
|
Accommodation
|
Wooler
Youth Hostel. Telephone 01668 281365. Small hotels & guest houses in Wooler & two caravan parks/camp sites
|
|
Public
Transport
|
None (
except to Wooler )
|
|
Tourist
Information
|
Wooler
Tourist Information Centre. Telephone
01668 282123
|
Devised, written &
photographed: Geoff
Holland 2007