The Breamish is a river in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

, England, which rises on Comb Fell in the

Northumberland National Park Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than between the Scottish border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall, and it is one of least visited of the National Parks. The park ...

on the southern side 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 ...

. It is one of the eight rivers rising in 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 others being the College Valley, the Harthope Burn, the

Bowmont Water Bowmont Water is a stream in the Scottish Borders and Northumberland, England. It rises in the Cheviot Hills and flows by Mowhaugh, Town Yetholm, and Kirk Yetholm. It then crosses the Anglo-Scottish border and continues past Mindrum Mill, M ...

, the Kale Water, the Heatherhope Burn, the Coquet and the Alwin. There are two notable villages in the upper Breamish valley: Ingram and Linhope, both of which are in the Northumberland National Park. The Breamish becomes the River Till in the locality of Bewick Bridge, 8.5 km to the southeast of

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 ...

; this is the only tributary of the

River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the ...

that flows exclusively in England.

Etymology

The name ''Breamish'' is of

Brittonic Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...

origin and derived from the verbal root ''breμ–''. "bellow, bray, roar" ( Welsh ''brefu''). This is the origin of the rivers Braan, Scotland and Brefi, Wales.

History

The Salters Road runs from the upper Breamish Valley across the Cheviots into Scotland. This was the historic pack-horse route for carrying salt from the coast into the Scottish borders. On the hills above the Breamish Valley are many archaeological remains of earlier occupations, from Neolithic and Bronze Age burial sites to hillforts, farmsteads, field systems and deserted medieval villages.

Geography

The headwaters of the Breamish are surrounded by hills over 2000 feet (610 metres) above sea level, viz

(815m), Hedgehope Hill (714m), Comb Fell (652m), Cushat Law (616m) and Bloodybush Edge (610m). Linhope Spout, a 60 ft waterfall that falls into a 16 ft plunge pool, is located on the Linhope Burn, a tributary of the Breamish, 1 km north of Linhope village.

References

Cheviot Hills Rivers of Northumberland Tributaries of the River Tweed 2Breamish {{England-river-stub