Walk: The Cheviot & hags of Hedgehope Hill

📌 Cheviot Hills, Northumberland
★★★

This circuit shows off the best and worst of the rolling Cheviot Hills. The best? Superlative views across Northumberland, the charismatic rocky outcrops of Long Crags and Housey Crags, the rather lovely valley carved out by the Harthope Burn, and a great sense of open space. The worst? A boggy morass of peat hags enveloping the high ground; some sections are improved by flagstone paths, but later on in the day it’s every person for themselves. The Cheviot is the most famous landmark visited – the highest point in the range (though “point” is misleading – this is one of the flattest summits for miles) – but Hedgehope Hill has the finer views and an impressive cairn.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish just short of public minor road end at Langleeford, 4 mi southwest of Wooler

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NT 954225

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.496409,-2.074329

❌ No public transport within 1 mi

🚗 Car park

📝 Key info

▶ 15 km / 9 mi | ▲ 870 m | ⌛ 6-7 hr

Features: △ The Cheviot (815 m, Hewitt); △ Comb Fell (652 m, Hewitt); △ Hedgehope Hill (714 m, Hewitt); 🧗 Long Crag & Housey Crags

⬤ Tough | Turf hill paths and tracks for most of the route. Comb Fell is boggy with lots of peat hag quagmires to cross, and pathless in places (or a very faint path).

➡️ Anticlockwise circuit: start – track just after New Burn – Scald Hill – The Cheviot – Cairn Hill – Comb Fell – Hedgehope Hill – Long Crags – Housey Crags – start

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Lots of grouse, sheep, butterflies, burying beetles. A dead slowworm near the start 🙁

Weather: 14°C or so, extensive hazy sunshine and light winds.

September 2020