The College Valley is one of five cuttings into the
Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot Hills (), or sometimes The Cheviots, are a range of uplands straddling the Anglo-Scottish border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. The English section is within the Northumberland National Park. The range includes T ...
. The valley is owned by College Valley Estates which in turn is funded by a trust created by Sir
James Knott MP.
The valley is spectacularly beautiful and affords a serenely satisfying ascent of
the Cheviot
The Cheviot () is an extinct volcano and the highest summit in the Cheviot Hills and in the county of Northumberland. Located in the extreme north of England, it is a walk from the Scottish border and, with a height of above sea-level, is lo ...
- 815 metres (2674 ft) - the highest peak in the area.
The Estate covers approximately {{convert, 12000, acre, km2 and is now managed by a Board of Directors whose duty is to manage it in a way that increases its value as an environmental, social and economic place of excellence. From north to south the estate is approximately 10 km and at its widest 7 km. There are over 105 km of roads and pathways criss crossing the College Valley.
The valley is open to the public, but access by car is restricted to permit holders only and these are limited on a daily basis.
Access
There is one road into the valley. This starts at
Kirknewton on the road between
Wooler
Wooler ( ) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops ...
and
Kirk Yetholm
Kirk Yetholm ('kirk yet-ham') is a village in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland, southeast of Kelso and less than west of the border. The first mention is of its church in the 13th century. Its sister town is Town Yetholm which lies ...
. On entering the valley itself the road splits into two, the right hand turn to Trowup burn. The left hand fork goes to the estate office and farm there up the main valley to the Cheviot itself.
History
The valley is ringed by
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
s along the hill tops. There is evidence of habitation from very early times.
More recently the estate was owned by
Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood
Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood (26 September 1748 – 7 March 1810) was an admiral of the Royal Navy, notable as a partner with Lord Nelson in several of the British victories of the Napoleonic Wars, and frequently as ...
, then the Grey family of
Howick Hall
Howick Hall, a Grade II* listed building in the village of Howick, Northumberland, England, is the ancestral seat of the Earls Grey. It was the home of the Prime Minister Charles, 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845), after whom Earl Grey tea i ...
followed by
Arthur Sutherland
Sir Arthur Munro Sutherland, 1st Baronet, KBE (2 October 1867 – 29 March 1953), of Hethpool House, Kirknewton, Northumberland, was an English shipowner and philanthropist.
Sutherland was the son of Benjamin John Sutherland, a shippin ...
.
Houses in the valley
The estate office is at
Hethpool House, Kirknewton
Hethpool House is an Edwardian house in Hethpool, in the civil parish of Kirknewton, near Wooler, Northumberland, England which has Grade II listed building status. Built in 1919 on the site of a late 17th-century house which had been the seat ...
.
After this there are a number of estate cottages designed in the arts and crafts style.
Hethpool Mill is now converted into self-catering accommodation. There is evidence of habitation here back into the 13th century.
As the valley approaches the Cheviot itself it splits into two. The right hand fork going to Mounthooly which is now a YHA hostel. The left hand fork going up to Goldsceugh by way of Coldburn cottage and Dunsdale house.
Hills within the College Valley Estates
The Cheviot
The Cheviot () is an extinct volcano and the highest summit in the Cheviot Hills and in the county of Northumberland. Located in the extreme north of England, it is a walk from the Scottish border and, with a height of above sea-level, is lo ...
. 815m
The Schil. 600m.
Black Hag.549m.
Scald Hill. 546m
Newton Tors. 537m
Preston Hill.520m.
Broadhope Hill.516m
Saughieside Hill.487m
Coldburn Hill. 484m
Whitelaw Nick. 430m.
Loft Hill.410 m.
Madam Law.397m
Eccles cairn.350m.
Sinkside Hill.
Great Hetha.
White hill. 226m.
External links
The Times, Feb.27, 2010, article on College ValleyCollege Valley Estate Panoramio. aerial topology and associated photographsDunsdale house on Geograph.org.ukCheviot hill fortsCollege Valley feature Length Documentary and DVD Postcards.
Cheviot Hills
Protected areas of Northumberland
Valleys of Northumberland