Northumberland
Ellis Crag
497M
1631FT
About Ellis Crag
Tucked away in the remote heart of the Cheviots, this heather-clad Tump offers a rugged, quiet alternative to the busier Pennine Way. Rising above the Usway Burn, its rocky outcrops provide a fine vantage point over the desolate Border Marches, overlooking the deep cleft of the Coquet Valley to the south.
Key Statistics
Rank
40th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Cheviots
Prominence
?
33
Nearest Town
Byrness
Geology
The ground beneath your boots belongs to the Fell Sandstone Formation, a rugged layer of sand that has compressed into solid, gritty rock.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NT747012
Latitude
55.3042°N
Longitude
2.4001°W
Did You Know?
- •The name likely stems from the Middle English personal name 'Elis', an early variation of Elias, referring to a local landowner or figure from the period when these hills were intensely farmed.
- •It is usually tackled as part of a long loop from the remote farmstead of Barrowburn, often paired with the more famous Border Ridge summit of Windy Gyle.
- •These slopes sit within the historical 'Middle March', once a lawless territory where Border Reivers moved stolen livestock through the hidden valleys of the Usway and Coquet.
- •From the summit rocks, you can look north directly across the border into Scotland to see the prominent, steep-sided profile of Hownam Law.
- •Navigation here is generally straightforward: if you find yourself walking through thigh-deep heather with no path in sight, you are likely exactly where you intended to be.