The River Breamish trickles into life south of Scotsman`s Knowe on the remote slopes of Cairn Hill, an outlier of the mighty Cheviot. The narrow, upper reaches of the Breamish Valley are flanked by an `avenue` of steep sided hills, including Cushat Law, Shielcleugh Edge, High Cantle and Shill Moor. The Salter`s Road, an ancient trade route across these wild northern hills, cuts through the peaceful valley as it twists and turns its way to the Scottish border. The heather moors, way above the valley floor, stretch out towards the `Premier League` heights of Hedgehope Hill, Comb Fell and a more distant Cheviot. This walk is a predominantly high level journey of windswept summits and vast, faraway views. This is epic Cheviot walking.

2. Turn left, pass through the small gate next to a five bar gate and then immediately turn to your right. With the fence and trees on your right, follow the grass covered path which very quickly merges with a rough gravel track. In less than 100 metres, go through a small gate, adjacent to a much larger five bar gate, and continue uphill, caught between the eastern slopes of Ritto Hill and the plantation edge. As the gradient begins to ease ignore the signpost on your right for Linhope Spout, you will need to save this for another day, and continue straight ahead until you reach, on your left, a track. Straight ahead lies the route to Hedgehope Hill, the second highest of the Cheviot Hills, but, once again, this is a trip for another day. Turn left along the tyre-indented track and on reaching the five bar gate, go through. Nearby, lie the remains of a small Bronze Age settlement and also the remnants of two Roman period settlements. Keep with the track and, as you gain some further height, the flanks of Shill Moor come into view slightly to your left. When the track begins its gentle descent and splits in two be sure to head for the left hand five bar gate. Once through, take the right hand spur and begin a long and gradual climb uphill on a clear, occasionally boggy, quad track. Eventually, you will pass the height of Rig Cairn (GR NT940167) topped with a small walkers cairn and this is an ideal place to enjoy the views of your onwards route. The tops of High Cantle and Cushat Law are clearly visible ahead, whilst a quick glance behind will revel the distant North Sea coast. The broad girth of Shill Moor and the pointed top of Great Standrop are also prominent. Continue with the track over relatively damp ground and, in time, you will reach a five bar gate in a post and wire fence.

4. On reaching the forest edge (GR NT904157), a small gate and an adjacent step stile it is time to leave the Salter`s Road and to start the just short of 1 mile journey to the summit of Bloodybush Edge. This involves a total of 142 metres of ascent over sporadically rough ground with the post and wire fence, to your right, for company. On reaching level ground and a step stile, climb over and head for the triangulation pillar, little more than 10 metres away. Here (GR NT902143), on this 610 metre high summit, there is a tangle of converging fences, gates and wooden posts. The views are excellent, with those to The Cheviot, Comb Fell and Hedgehope Hill especially drawing the eye. A `Hewitt` is a hill in England, Wales or Ireland which exceeds 2000 feet in height, with at least a 30 metre drop on all sides. There are 525 `Hewitts` in total, with 177 of these being in England. You are now standing on the lowest of these English `Hewitts`. Re-cross the step stile, turn right and, with the post and wire fence on your right, begin the south eastwards descent of Bloodybush Edge. To the south lies the extensive Kidland Forest which clothes a complex area of small, rounded hills, burns, cleughs, sikes, shanks and waterfalls. In 1825, in his book `An Historical, Topographical and Descriptive View of the County of Northumberland`, E. Mackenzie described this extensive area as consisting of “a number of lofty, verdant hills, of conical form” adding that, “they appear like a number of beautiful hillocks rising gradually in exact arrangement”. Not content to stop there he went on to say that, “the glens which divide these hills are of every variety of form, and exhibit, in summer, all that is picturesque in the most beautiful mountain scenery”. Whilst the view over the vast Kidland Forest, as you  climb alongside the guiding fence towards the top of Cushat Law, is not unattractive, the pre-forest vista as described by E. Mackenzie, would surely have won any past versus present `beauty contest`. The area is also peppered with derelict and redundant sheepfolds, a reminder of the former life of these now tree-blanketed hills.

6. To your left, the track heads down hill towards the Breamish Valley and the isolated farm of Low Bleakhope. In his 1936 book `The Rambles of Vagabond`, Frederick A. Wills wrote, “It is not too far along to Bleakhope where milk and cream and eggs are to be had at the end of the deep defile between Shill Moor and High Cantle”. You will have to leave the milk, cream and eggs for another day, as your route now heads to the right, where very quickly you cross a step stile on your gentle climb and then short descent towards Little Dod. Before reaching the top of this 386 high hill an arrowed fingerpost (GR NT950142) directs you to turn to your left and to follow the green track across the slope of  Scaud Knowe. The Shank Burn lies below you to your right as you follow the easy downhill track and the occasional directional fingerpost. To your left there are good views of Ritto Hill, Dunmoor Hill  and the granite tors of Great and Little Standrop. Eventually you will cross the Rowhope Burn, before climbing to a ladder stile leading you to the rear boundary wall of Alnhammoor farm (GR NT971153). Continue in the same direction until a shin high directional marker is reached and at this point turn left through a gate. Walk straight across this small field, with Alnhammoor above you on your left, leaving via a step stile. Turn right along the tarmac road, cross the River Breamish via a bailey bridge and after little more than half a mile of further walking you will be back at Hartside Farm. As you make your way home you will, perhaps, reflect on the joys of this truly classic Cheviot walk.