Kirknewton, Hethpool Linn and Yeavering Bell

From the village, you follow a track into the valley of College Burn, a salmon stream whose source is on the west flank of the Cheviot 6 miles to the south. The burn is heavily wooded in contrast to the bare hills above, and a path through rough pasture descends to the burn at Hethpool Linn (a delightful waterfall in a sheltered spot). From Hethpool Linn, cross the footbridge — which provides a perfect viewing spot for the waterfall — and follow the north bank of College Burn upstream to the remote hamlet of Hethpool, no more than a grand house and a short row of terraced cottages.

From Hethpool, cross College Burn for a second time, returning to the south side of the watercourse. You are now following the route of the notable St Cuthbert's Way long-distance footpath. The path heads east across an open hillside where red grouse are a common sight and grazing sheep cautiously watch you walk by, eventually reaching the remote farm of Torleehouse.

Soon after passing the farm, take a deep breath as the real climbing of the walk begins. There are benefits to the workout though, because as you climb the hill, views open out on all sides: the Cheviot Hills, dotted with remote farms and cut by hidden valleys, roll away to the south, while to the north the hills end abruptly as the landscape becomes a flat patchwork of fields irrigated by the River Tweed and its tributaries.

As you continue climbing, Yeavering Bell dominates the way ahead, its stately form drawing the eye. The stiff climb towards its twin summits — one of 1,164 feet (355 metres) and one of 1,184 feet (361 metres) — is rewarded by fine views, including one back down to the starting point of the walk in Kirknewton.

Around the twin summits is an extensive Iron Age settlement: a stone rampart encloses an area of 13 acres scarred with the pockmarks of 130 circular stone huts, evidence of what must have been a very large community for the period. From the site of the forts you pass the remains of an ancient tower at Old Yeavering and return to Kirknewton.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.