Chillingham and Ros Castle

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This is night No.19/2021 living in the caravan. It's also our 3rd night at the River Breamish C&MC Site near Powburn in Northumberland.

Slept well, and again the weather was stunning. Very pleasant when I took the dogs out for a walk around the site dog walk at around 0600.


Had a shower in the awning, got some breakfast and around 0800 we headed out for a good forest walk.

Around 10mins from the site is the Forestry England plantation at Hepburn. I've walked here before, it is a nice long circular route.


It's on a hillside and the views west over towards the Cheviots is really nice.


Past an old cost and capstone, dating from the Bronze Age.



Lots of wild garlic providing a lovely scent.


At the entrance to the wood, over a wall are the ruins of Hepburn Bastle. Derived from the French 'bastille', these were effectively fortified farmhouses built to withstand the notorious Border Reivers. I couldn't get any closer due to the immense walls which run for miles and hold in the Chillingham Wild Cattle Herd.

I checked the OS Map, and noticed nearby a viewpoint marked as 'Ros Castle'. It was literally 2 mins up the road from the forest.

I really wished I could have got some aerial footage here, as I was the only one around and the scenery was fantastic, but it was just far too windy. I would have lost the drone!


A prominent and fairly steep little hill located on a high level moor.


Nice summit with a trig point and 'toposcope'.


Memorial on the trig point.


The views were extensive in all directions, and could actually make out the castle on Lindisfarne quite clearly.


Could also spot Chillingham Castle, who's walls enclosed the above 'Bastle'.


Great views in all directions.


From here, we took the short drive to Chillingham, a place I'd never been.



The picturesque churchyard of St Peters.


One of the many entrances to Chillingham Castle.


Really is a nice place, and some really large and old homes.

After returning to the van, getting lunch and doing a bit of lazing, headed off to a forest I'd passed the other day, Forestry England's Wide Hope.


Not far from Edlingham (with it's famous ruined castle), this is another quite steep woodland which climbs up to a high grouse moor.


The track is a circular route, climbing steadily.


Some impressive crags. Just along the road is another Forestry plantation, Edlingham Crags, which is a popular spot for climbers.


A shooters hide as we reached the top of the forest. This is still on Forestry land, and the adjacent moorland was fenced off and definitely made it very clear that dogs were not allowed. Strangely, in this forest there quite a few shooting hides including a few which were mounted on the trunks of some larger trees.




Comments

  1. EdzellAngus9 June 2021 at 17:49

    Another great commentary, Iain. The photos show you don't need to go far over the border before the scenery definitely looks more English than Scottish. You're putting in a lot of miles. Make sure you reward that with a nice pint of English bitter in a traditional olde pub.

    ReplyDelete

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