The College Valley and The Cheviot Walk

Follow the Border Ridge to the summit of The Cheviot

The top of Northumberland’s highest summit stands at 2,674 feet (815-metres) and this STRENUOUS 10-mile (16-kilometres) walk has a number of highlights. It’s a proper mountain, so be prepared for a great day out. The route takes us deep into the College Valley, up onto the Pennine Way and along the Border Ridge. After that, it’s downhill to the valley of the Lambden Burn and back to our start point.

The golden plover an attractive but somewhat secretive bird can be heard calling and occasionally seen. Red grouse are plentiful and an upland river favourite, the dipper, speeds along the waters of the College and Lambden Burns.

There is poignancy here too, a memorial to the airmen killed in World War II stands beside Cuddystone Hall in the College Valley. Included on the memorial are the shepherds and their dogs who went to the rescue; one of the dogs was awarded the Dickens Medal, the animal Victoria Cross. The graves of some of those who died can be found in St. Gregory’s Churchyard in Kirknewton, a Commonwealth War Graves Site.

In the Summer, you can pick cloudberries on the summit, a delicious wild food that grows at these high altitudes, not something you’ll do every day as you hike to and over Northumberland’s high point.

What to Bring

• Walking boots or walking shoes
• Polyester cotton trousers; no denim jeans, please
• A waterproof coat, waterproof trousers, a hat, and gloves; a sunhat such as a baseball cap for sunny days
• Sunscreen
• One bottle of water per person, 1 to 1.5 litres is recommended
• A picnic lunch and some snacks

Clothing depends on the season. Please contact us for advice!