On the Cheviot Hills

The next week and the next trip ; to the Cheviot Hills in the Northumberland National Park . I decided to go for a walk on the Scottish - English border and climb up the Cheviot Hill , the highest peak of these hills(816 m). So to do that we started in Kirk Yetholm , a village on the Scottish side of the border. In Kirk Yetholm there is a starting point of Penine Way , the popular trail which runs down south to Yorkshire Dales . So we commenced there to the Cheviot Hill .

   The trail starts about a mile off Kirk Yetholm , by a small car park and up along a dry-stone wall .

We follow the wall up to the ridge , which should lead us straight to the Cheviot .

Having got to the higher ground , we comfortably follow the Penine Way , which runs along the Scottish - English border . Enjoying the sunny weather we feel kind privileged , just walking and looking over two countries . Although , in fact there is no real difference in the landscape , except for the line on a map .

Looking to the west while sitting and having lunch . Such an idyllic view .

We hit the road again , all the time keeping close to the wire fence . We were heading towards the first serious obstacle on our way - the Schil (605m) . The hill , one of the highest in the Cheviot range , is quite steep . In addition , during ascending the hill , it started drizzling . The favourable weather was over , but it didn't disheartened us much .

After long walk up the Schil , we quickly descended , then turned left still along the wire- fence . Having passed the wooden hut we approached a deep gully beneath the Cheviot . In the late Spring there was still some snow in the gully .

After no more then half an hour we finally made it ( it was really steep climb ) and we got to a cairn and large boggy plateau stretching behind it . But it wasn't the proper top - the highest point of the Cheviot Hill was hidden somewhere in the mist , to the east . There was a path off the trail which could lead us there - however we gave up - too long walk in deep fog . We were a bit tight on the time , so we continued on the Penine Way to the south-west . The plan was to walk back to Kirk -Yetholm , but after finding another way down .

Soon we found the Penine Way easy to walk , as we comfortably trampled on a path made of wooden planks . At some points , however , the wooden pavement had been dismantled , obviously to be replaced by stone slabs , stocked up on the sides .

The Penine Way winds up over vast moorland .

Before the Windy Gyle Hill we left the main path and descended down along the fence running north - we even found a descent road used by farm vehicles , so we quickly reached the valley below . We hoped to find the way to the village .

Having descended we found a small river , which we crossed and followed along , walking on a country road down the stream .

We marched on tarmac soon and reached a tiny place called Mowhaugh , with a very few houses . But there was old-fashioned call-box . From Mowhaugh we still had long distance to walk to get back to the car , some ten miles . We were lucky , though , as we got a lift , thanks a local lady driving an old land rover , what was very kind of her .