On my recent holiday in Northumberland I walked up The Cheviot. At 2,674ft (815m) it is the county's highest summit. Actually, I made two ascents the same afternoon - a stroll and a dash
To judge by some accounts, walking up The Cheviot is an unchallenging doddle and the summit a disappointment. I disagree with that assessment - it's an excellent way to spend an afternoon. But it's not so much fun if you have to do it twice. Let me explain.
On a fine June day, the missus and I drove southwest from Wooler to the carpark (grid ref NT551222) along the beautiful valley of Harthope Burn. There was plenty of room to park at the end of the road and we set off for The Cheviot up a clearly defined path.
The path rises steeply at first then levels out as it rises towards Scald Hill (549 metres). The views begin to open out - to the north Broadhope Hill and Preston Hill, to the south the Harthope valley with Hedgehope Hill (2,343ft) towering beyond, to the east a broadening vista of the Northumberland coast.
We had maps and a compass of course but navigation in clear weather is easy - keep to the fence line on the well-defined path with The Cheviot dead ahead.
From Scald Hill, another path heads south to descend into the Harthope valley which it reaches at Langleefordhope. The path to the summit is straight ahead and after Scald Hill it steepens as you begin to slog uphill. There are a few stonier sections but mostly the going is soft underfoot.
It's well worth pausing every so often to turn and look back - the view to the coast is fantastic with the Farne Islands and Holy Island clearly visible.
The hillside was alive with bird song as we walked - . melodious larks, startled grouse, kestrels hunting, curlews mournfully crying. Wonderful!
The path becomes progressively boggier as the summit plateaux is reached. The last few hundred metres has been paved with stone flags which lead to an OS trig point on a a blockwork plinth. The peat bog is gently undulating so it's hard to determine the very highest point but the trig point is generally accepted as the summit.
Once you are on the summit plateaux the views are obscured by the shoulders of the hill itself but at least you have the satisfaction of having reached the highest point in Northumberland.
We ate our snacks near the summit. My missus does a lot less hiking than me so she decided to return the way we'd come, the easiest way, while I opted for a more challenging route. We both had maps, the path is very easy to follow and we were confident it was safe to split up. So she set off down the fence line while I struck off on a more direct downhill route across the open hillside to Langleefordhope in the valley.
We had our little terrier dog with us. As we set off down, I'd assumed the dog was with the missus; she'd assumed the dog was with me. Well, you can guess what happened.
When we met an hour later at the carpark neither of us had the dog. It was obviously on the fell somewhere so off I went back up the hill.
This time, however, I was jogging not strolling. A very unpleasant hour or so followed. I found it gruelling to maintain such a fast pace and I was increasing worried about the dog. I went nearly to the top then retraced my divergent route down.
To cut a long story short, by the time I got back to the carpark all was well. The shepherd had driven my missus along the valley in his Landrover and they'd found the dog following in my earlier footsteps. Meanwhile, I'd met the land owner in the valley and he had driven me back to my car. Both of them were very helpful and kind - I owe them a heartfelt 'thank you'.
So instead of six miles and roughly 2,000 feet at a gentle stroll I did over ten miles and twice the height, the second ascent at a pretty taxing pace.
Despite that hiccup, ascending The Cheviot from Langleeford is a very enjoyable walk. I shall certainly be walking in this delightfully uncrowded area again. But next time the dog will be kept on the lead!
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Topic: Walking up The Cheviot
