Sewingshields Crags

About Sewingshields Crags

Rising above the Northumberland landscape, these dramatic basalt escarpments form a key section of the Whin Sill. Walking along the crest, you follow the line of Hadrian’s Wall, offering rugged footing and commanding views northward over the vast, wild expanses of the Wark Forest and the Border Country.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Sewingshields likely derives from the Old English 'Sigtun-scheles', meaning 'shielings by the victory enclosure', referring to seasonal huts used by graziers near an ancient fortification.
• •This stretch of the Whin Sill carries a significant section of Hadrian’s Wall. Milecastle 35 sits just to the west of the summit, where the Roman engineers built the wall directly onto the precipitous north-facing edge to maximise its defensive advantage.
• •Local folklore claims a cave beneath the crags is the resting place of King Arthur and his knights. Legend says they lie in an enchanted sleep, waiting for a brave soul to blow a bugle and cut a garter with a stone sword to wake them.
• •From the summit, the view stretches across the vast Northumbrian 'wastes' towards the distinctive rounded profiles of the Cheviot Hills on the Scottish border, while to the south, the North Pennines rise beyond the Tyne Valley.
• •The crags are formed from the Whin Sill, a massive sheet of dolerite that cooled underground 295 million years ago. Its hard, erosion-resistant nature creates the vertical cliffs that provided a natural foundation for the Roman frontier.
• •While officially classified as a Tump, the real challenge here is the Roman obsession with a straight line, which ensures your knees experience every single vertical dip and rise the ridge has to offer.