Padon Hill

About Padon Hill

Rising above the remote moorlands of Redesdale, this modest summit is defined by its isolation and the towering stone monument that crowns it. Set within the Otterburn Training Area, the climb involves navigating heather and bog to reach a vantage point offering clear views across the Coquet Valley toward the higher Cheviot massifs.

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Did You Know?

• •The hill is named after Alexander Peden, a prominent 17th-century Scottish Covenanter. During the 'Killing Times', Peden is said to have held illegal Presbyterian religious services, known as conventicles, at this remote spot to evade government dragoons.
• •The summit is marked by the Padon Monument, a massive, tapering stone cairn. Built in the 1860s to replace an earlier structure, it stands as a tribute to Peden and serves as a vital navigational landmark in the often featureless moorland.
• •Large portions of the approach lie within the Otterburn Training Area, the UK's second-largest military range. Walkers must check firing times before visiting, as access is strictly prohibited when the red flags are flying.
• •From the summit monument, the view is particularly expansive to the south and west, looking over the dark canopy of Kielder Forest and the rolling hills of the Anglo-Scottish border toward the distant Solway Firth.
• •If you find yourself here on a misty day, the monument’s sudden appearance through the gloom is less of a spiritual revelation and more of a practical relief that you haven't wandered off-course into a live firing exercise.