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Northumberland-Walks.co.uk - photographic walks in Northumberland.Cheviot Hills - Rowhope, Barrowburn Circular Walk via the Border County Ride.Introduction We started and finished this walk in the River Coquet Valley at the junction of the road to Rowhope and Uswayford. We parked on the small parking area on the roadside at the junction which is busy at Bank Holidays and Weekends. The walk started on tarmac roads that soon turned into gravel tracks and as we climbed to the hill section it became a grassy footpath / bridleway before rejoining the valley. Views and scenery were great, even though the weather was dull. Total Distance - about 4.5 miles. Toilets - nearest at Alwinton Village on the way up the Coquet Valley.
Walk From the parking area we followed the road signposted to Rowhope and Uswayford along the side of Rowhope Burn, rising gently up the valley.
As we continued from Rowhope up the valley, the road became a good track which soon crossed the Trows Burn by a concrete ford. There was a footbridge alongside for walkers which we used.
The track started to climb more steeply after the ford and after a short while we reached a fairly recent new hairpin section which bypassed the steep old track for vehicles. We followed this but could have gone straight on.
Much new tree planting had been done here and the area was a mass of green tubes to protect the saplings. A bit unsightly but needed.
We continued the climb up this track until it levelled out when we reached a section of forest on our right.
Immediately before the forest we approached a track on our right which went to a gate a few yards further on. We followed this track through the gate after which it became a good grassy footpath.
We followed this path which was a section of the Border County Ride.
On our left the ground dropped steeply down to the valley of the Hepden Burn with great views to the hills and forests beyond.
We stopped and looked back often along here as some of the best views were behind us as we walked. Windy Gyle and the Border could be seen beyond Ward Law.
We continued along this path which was fairly level past a hill on our right named Barrow Law.
At this point the path turned left and started to lose height. Ahead were views of Lounges Know, Shillhope Law and the Coquet Valley.
The path now turned slightly right and started to drop steeply as the River Coquet came more into view.
Soon the path became a farm track and continued down into the valley through a gate to Barrowburn which was straight ahead of us.
We followed the track down and through the farm, past a ford on our left and rejoined the Coquet Valley road.
Turning right onto the road past a phone box, the River Coquet was on our left.
We followed the road back up the valley back to the parking area to end a great walk.
Notes
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