Northumberland
Coldsmouth Hill
414M
1358FT
About Coldsmouth Hill
Positioned directly on the Anglo-Scottish border in the northern Cheviots, this quiet, rounded hill offers a straightforward ascent from the Bowmont Valley. Though modest in height, its summit provides expansive views across the Border Mires and north into the Scottish Borders, looking towards the Iron Age hillfort of Yeavering Bell.
Key Statistics
Rank
77th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Cheviots
Prominence
?
78
Nearest Town
Northumberland
Geology
You are walking on ancient layers of hardened lava and speckled volcanic rocks that once surged through cracks in the earth to form this fell.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NT857282
Latitude
55.5473°N
Longitude
2.2282°W
Did You Know?
- •The hill marks the border between England and Scotland; a wire fence runs directly across the summit, physically dividing the Northumberland National Park from the Scottish Borders.
- •It was once part of the township of Coldsmouth, a community so plagued by 16th-century border reiver raids that reports of its destruction were sent directly to the Privy Council of England.
- •While many walkers pass nearby on the Pennine Way, the summit itself is best reached via a steady climb from the hamlet of Kilham, following ancient tracks used by livestock drovers.
- •The summit provides an excellent vantage point for surveying the Iron Age hillforts of the northern Cheviots, specifically the impressive ramparts of Yeavering Bell to the east and the rounded bulk of The Cheviot to the south.
- •The border fence at the top is the most efficient navigation tool on the hill: keep it on your left to stay in England, or your right to visit Scotland, though the sheep on either side look remarkably similar.