The Hills of Upper Coquetdale

by: Geoff Holland
The River Coquet rises on the remote upper slopes of Brownhart Law, close to the Roman military complex of Chew Green, and for the first 10 miles of a long and wayward journey to the North Sea this magnificent river rubs shoulders with some of the finest hills in Northumberland. Here, seemingly light years from the stresses and strains of 21st century life, the hills of Upper Coquetdale offer walking of the highest quality.

This guide contains eight totally new self-guided walks with detailed easy to follow route descriptions and a rucksack full of fascinating information about the area. This is a unique collection of walks in the most tranquil corner of England. Each walk chapter begins with a short description of the route plus practical data including distance, ascent, terrain, time and start point with grid reference. Each walk has also been assigned a Ferguson Grading System rating and the book gives details of this system and how to interpret the grades which are used to give you an understanding of the difficulty of the route from the point of view of navigation, physical exertion and safety. The book includes an informative introduction to the area and is illustrated with colour and black and white photographs.

The guide does not include any sketch maps, but the route finding directions are detailed and include grid references for all the key points along the way. You will therefore need Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL16 to confirm your position. This sheet covers all the walks in this book. We would not advise walking in the exposed Cheviots without an OS Explorer map and compass even using a guide that included sketch maps.

The walk titles are:
Coquet Head Horseshoe - 8.5 miles
Barrowburn Circuit - 11 miles
Alwinton Hills - 11.25 miles
Beyond the Watershed - 9.75 miles
Buckham's Bridge and Beyond - 8.5 miles
Laws, Hills and a Gyle - 8.5 miles
Monarch of Kidland - 12 miles
Biddlestone Bounds - 8.5 miles

ISBN 9781905444366 Pages 104 (2010) 148mm x 210mm