North Pennines / Northumberland/ Cheviots

[The Hodge]

No ride as such ..but I've been riding these hills for 24 years..and I'm more than happy to show folks around ..
Weekends are out and work commitments mean that all of December is too ..but widweek ( Wednesday ) is my usual ride day .
Most of my mates are on non assisted mtb's ..so the pace is set by them .
Give me a shout if you are interested a couple of days before and I will let you know what we are doing ( if anything )
cheers
Neil

 

[The Hodge]

I'm out tomorrow in the Cheviot Hills starting at Shillmoor in the Upper Coquet Valley at 10.00am ..route as yet undecided but it will include the Border Ridge ( England / Scotland) ..meeting up with my non ebike mate .
Last chance for a trip out before the new covid restrictions ..and while I'm not expecting anyone else to join us ..if you happen by chance to be in one of the remotest parts of the U.K at the same time and want to tag along it would be nice to see you ..??

 

[The Hodge]

Brilliant day out today ..started with a ground frost and things were quite chilly riding up the valley in the shadow of the hills ...unfortunately once off -road the ground conditions didn't match the sunny weather and in a word it was a slog ..more so for my mate Nick who hasn't seen the light and is still riding his 15 year old hardtail so the ride was at his pace ( which is fine as I would rather ride along with him than storm on ahead).
A few comedy " offs " on the Border Ridge as there was so much standing water on the stone slabs it was hard to tell where the edges were and if you veered off you were quickly axle deep in the bog ..
The views though were tremendous .

Nick arriving at Yearning Saddle refuge hut ..this is the English side ..over the fence in the background is Scotland

A view from over the fence into the Scottish Borders

A lot of these flagstones were airlifted in to support the boggy nature of the trail ( this section is on the final part of the Pennine Way ) ..some of them have already sunk without trace ..they are great fun to ride though but anything but smooth and the slightest loss of concentration can result in this ..

More views ..

Turning onto "The Street " ..you soon arrive at one of the best descents in these parts off Black Braes ..which is the slash on the hillside to the right

Just to prove it wasn't his day..here is the last of his four "offs" ...

My thanks to my longest serving Mtb mate for another great day out..

 

[The Hodge]

 

[Jackware]

Does the army publish when they're using the land or do you just have to check when you get there?

 

[KeithR]

Does the army publish when they're using the land or do you just have to check when you get there?

Otterburn firing times

Dates and times when Otterburn and Redesdale ranges and Bellshiel demolition range are being used for live firing.

www.gov.uk

 

[The Hodge]

You don't need permission to ride the route I have shown ..only on the land marked "danger area" ..and even then just check for the red flag flying

 

[The Hodge]

Jackware.. just a few more tips if you are planning on doing this route ..
If time allows ..don't use the bridleway from Blindburn to get up to the Border Ridge ..its a slog through very boggy ground and we really shouldn't have used that ..instead use Deels Hill to get up there ...
We also had to cut short our intended ride due to my mates time constraints and had intended heading up the "red road " past Trows..to the bridleway heading over Barrow Law to Barrowburn ( marked Border County Ride on the map ) ...eventually gives you a great descent ..
From Barrowburn take the Bridleway towards Middle Hill ( tough rocky climb) but when you arrive at the gate keep right to head down to Fairhaugh.
From Fairhaugh follow the bridleway which follows the Usway Burn on singletrack to Batalshiel Haugh..this section of trail is without doubt my favourite within the Cheviot Hills ..and within my top 5 anywhere ..its just so chilled ..follow the double track back to the start at Shilmoor..
Save it for a summer ride when the trail is dry and you will love it !
Give me a shout if you do head this way and I would be happy to show you around ..

 

[Jackware]

Jackware.. just a few more tips if you are planning on doing this route ..
If time allows ..don't use the bridleway from Blindburn to get up to the Border Ridge ..its a slog through very boggy ground and we really shouldn't have used that ..instead use Deels Hill to get up there ...
We also had to cut short our intended ride due to my mates time constraints and had intended heading up the "red road " past Trows..to the bridleway heading over Barrow Law to Barrowburn ( marked Border County Ride on the map ) ...eventually gives you a great descent ..
From Barrowburn take the Bridleway towards Middle Hill ( tough rocky climb) but when you arrive at the gate keep right to head down to Fairhaugh.
From Fairhaugh follow the bridleway which follows the Usway Burn on singletrack to Batalshiel Haugh..this section of trail is without doubt my favourite within the Cheviot Hills ..and within my top 5 anywhere ..its just so chilled ..follow the double track back to the start at Shilmoor..
Save it for a summer ride when the trail is dry and you will love it !
Give me a shout if you do head this way and I would be happy to show you around ..

We're thinking of exploring Northumberland next year if we can, if we do I''ll be in contact :^)

 

[The Hodge]

Please do ..fingers crossed things are somewhere near normal by then ..

 

[Giff]

Great pictures and looks a great place as well. I've got the same Whyte but have been really restricted with the lockdown as to where to ride. I'm a bit further south (Cheshire) but will definitley try and come up when we are back to reality.

 

[The Hodge]

Rainy start to the day ..but Shilmoor pt.ll going ahead ...sticking to covid guidelines and meeting a.n.other non household member ( Nick again) ...but I wonder if we will accidently bump into a new forum member on our travels ...?..who knows ..certainly not me ..

 

[The Hodge]

Well ..what a surprise ..I do now truly believe that I have psychic powers ..we only bumped into one of the newest forum members..EMF who joined myself and Nick for the ride ..obviously observing the distancing guidelines at all times ...ish.
The weather wasn't as clear as last week..but spookily the ground conditions were ( in the main) .
Still hard work for Nick though on his 15 year old Scott Aspen hardtail mtb ..but it truly highlights how awesome an e- bike is as given that on the same bike he would totally blow me away on the climbs as the bloke is a machine.
A few pics
Introducing ..

Nick left & EMF right at the cairn on top of Windy Gyle ..which was very misty and living up to its name .

Another "off" by Nick ..it took a bit of effort to pull him out ..

Did I really say that conditions were better than last week?

Just a lovely place ..The Usway Burn near Fairhaugh

The widest part of the bridleway following the burn down from Fairhaugh to Batailshiel Haugh

Great day out ..fantastic riding and really good to meet EMF ..and Nick ( as always ..)
Looking forward to the next one already

 

[The Hodge]

Todays ride on Hexhamshire Common ..Its been a couple of years since I rode this particular route so it came as somewhat of a shock to find that what used to be a beautiful semi technical bridleway shortly after starting at Whitley Chapel over to Sinderhope via Stobbs Cross had been turned into a virtual motorway ( rocky sandstone ) so that the Arab landowners could drive their Range Rovers to the ever increasing number of shooting butts in season ..
I suppose they can do what they want ..but it just seems a shame that this has been lost ..( no pics ) .
However the other half of the ride was just as good as it ever was ..the ( bastard ) climb from Fell View which would have me off and pushing almost from the start on my mtb ..was an absolute joy to climb on an emtb and the bridleway from Hangman Hill down to Kingslaw Plantation the same old riotous rock-fest that its always been ..even if it resembled a river bed in places ..anyway ..the pics ..
The bridleway from Pikeley Rigg to Hangman Hill

Looking back ..

Hangman Hill to Kingslaw Plantation

I really enjoyed the day ..but although it looks nice & sunny ..it was also cold & very windy ..

 

[Jackware]

Great shots and those place names!

 

[The EMF]

Great pics Neil, I’m up there next week for sure.......I’ve never riden that route for a couple of years now.

 

[The EMF]

You rode up Fell View ? ??Defo on the short list.

 

[The EMF]

When you came off the moor you hung a left ,( I’ve took the fast road back to Whitley Chappel) where about does that bring you back on the outward trail ? Is that left signed ?
Cheers bud.

 

[The Hodge]

Wayne ..its a tarmac road which drops steeply down to a farm ..as you are dropping you will see a well made gravel tack ( b/w) going directly up the opposite hill ..this links in to the outward bridleway ( sticking close to the wall after turning right at the gate gives a section of grassy singletrack ..something I missed on the outward leg )

 

[The EMF]

thanks Neil, a quick look on the OS Explorer and I’ll be away ??

 

[Teriatric]

@The Hodge, Hiya! Have you had any bother with water getting into the motor or battery box or causing any bother? I've only managed 2 rides on my ebike since I bought it at the end of October (this year) and both were swampy ones in the Dales and the Lakes, and there was muddy water inside the battery box after both, although no damage done. It survived ok but I wasn't riding through torrents like in some of your pix. And have you dared to tackle a ford with it, plenty of those up here?

 

[The Hodge]

Although I try to avoid it ..sometimes a stream crossing or deep puddle can be a lot deeper than it looks ..so yeah I've been through a good few with no problem ( so far ) ..saying that the bike lives in my house in a nice warm room so has every chance to dry out ..
Anyway you really are asking the wrong person ..The EMF ( aka Aquaman ) is renowned for his water exploits ..

 

[The EMF]

I resemble that remark !!!!