The wonders of the Cheviot Hills reveal themselves over 2 glorious days

Statistics

1

day +

1,551

m

1,655

m

13

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Difficult

Description

The wonderful and wild Cheviot hills provide a fitting climax to a magnificent journey down the spine of England.

Save for a couple of emergency shelters (which you should be able to spot on the map) there are no facilities on this route so you have 2 options - try to gun it and do this section in a single day, or break it up by detouring off the route to one of the villages not too far off the trail.

Either option will require a bit of planning, so make sure you've got a firm plan in place before setting off - you won't stumble across any facilities so you'll have to go and find them! The Cheviots aren't as high as the nearby Lake District mountains, but their remote location and lack of amenities make them just as wild as their most famous neighbours to the west.

The hills here are utterly spectacular but remarkably quiet - you'll be amazed how few people there are in the Cheviots compared to better known British mountain ranges. The Pennine Way follows the best trail on the Cheviots, following the spine of the range as it undulates over peak and after peak, many of them right on the Anglo-Scottish border.

The terrain underfoot is fairly boggy but navigation is pretty straightforward in good weather, so if the sun is out you can get on with enjoying the day rather than burying your head in the map.

The biggest navigational decision you've got to make is whether to detour to the summit of The Cheviot itself - a trip which is well worth making if you've got good visibility, but a waste of energy if you're in the mist! From The Cheviot, enjoy the wonderful last section of the Pennine Way and make the descent into the small town of Kirk Yetholm.

Seek out some comfortable accommodation, take a hot shower and indulge in some calorie loading at one of the excellent pubs the town is home to! Congratulations on completing one of the most celebrated long hikes in Europe!