Yeavering Bell

About Yeavering Bell

Guarding the northern edge of the Cheviots near Wooler, this twin-peaked hill offers a journey into the Iron Age. The steep, bracken-clad slopes lead to a massive stone-walled hillfort. From the summit, you can trace the outlines of the Anglo-Saxon royal palace at Ad Gefrin in the valley below.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The name originates from the Brythonic and Old Welsh 'Din Gefron', meaning 'Hill of the Goats'. This survived through the Old English 'geafringa' to become the modern Yeavering, reflecting the hill's long-standing use as upland grazing.
• •The summit is enclosed by the remains of a massive Iron Age hillfort, once a major tribal centre for the Votadini. Its stone walls, which were upwards of 10 feet thick, once protected over a hundred timber roundhouses; the foundations remain visible as level platforms cut into the slope.
• •Looking north into the valley of the River Glen, hikers can spot the archaeological site of Ad Gefrin. Mentioned by the Venerable Bede, this was a 7th-century royal palace of the Northumbrian kings. The outlines of the great timber halls are often more legible from the Bell’s summit than they are at ground level.
• •The view south from the summit offers a classic perspective of the high Cheviots, dominated by the massive, peat-covered dome of The Cheviot itself and the nearby rocky top of Newton Tors. To the east, the Northumberland coastline and the Farne Islands are often visible on clear days.
• •Despite its modest height and classification as a Tump, the final pull to the summit is remarkably steep, proving that a hill doesn't need to be a Munro to make a walker reconsider their choice of mid-layer.