Enlivened Walks...

As we walk we will see evidence of the volcanic and glacial forces which shaped the Cheviot Hills. There is also visible evidence of the people who lived in the Cheviots over the last 5000 years or so to the present day including for example, Neolithic rock art, Bronze Age burial sites and Iron Age hill forts.

These hills also form a border between England and Scotland and so have seen invading armies from either side come and go in the days before the Union of the two countries in 1603. For the three hundred years before this Union, largely as consequence of poor relations between the two countries, these border lands were almost lawless leading to the emergence of powerful family groups who stole each others cattle and possessions! They are known locally as the Border Reivers! Some walks pass famous battle sites whilst others follow old drover trails used for taking animals to market and pass close to previously illicit whisky stills.

The hills offer a range of birdlife, particularly waders such as curlews and lapwings but also birds of prey such as buzzards and kestrels. Herons and dippers can often be seen in the rivers. If these birds are around when we walk I will point them out to you. You can borrow my binoculars for a closer look!!

At ground level there are flowers, mosses, heather and fungi depending on the month in which we walk. For example, tormentil, cotton grass and bilberries.

As we walk I will point things out to you and try to make your day as interesting as possible. Of course, there are always the views and the tranquillity of the hills themselves!