1. sports
2. walking

duringChristmas,
Easter,
all of Augustand all
PublicHolidays.Accessinformation
can be
gainedby contacting
the Range.
urn
Safety
(Seealso'General
Safety'section
at startof
booklet)
o The pathsfor walksaroundthe Rangehave
beenclearedof explosives
and areclearly
markedby plainwoodenpostswith yellow
bands.Pleasekeepto theseway-marked
pathsand withinthe fencesat all times.
o Do not touchor pick up any metalobjects
lyingon the ground.
o Pleasekeepawayfrom all buildings,
except
for Tyneham
Church,the SchoolHouseand
toiletfacilities.
o Neverstrayfrom the paths.Stayawayfrom
cliffedgesand overhangs.
Clifftop walking
can be dangerous
in highwinds.
Viewssouthwest
towardsFlower'sBarrow
c 227 - Thursdays
only(exceptPublic
Holidays)
connecting
to Wooland Bovington
o X22 - Fridaysonly in Julyand September
connecting
to Pooleand Bournemouth.
11'12 miles (17.6Distance:Approximately
circuitvia
19.2 km) (Complete
routevariWindyGyleincorporating
ationsat startand finish)
Duration:6-7 hours
.^.^ '.^'
Grade:
OS Map Sheet(s)
Localfacilities
Therearecar parkingfacilitiesat Whiteway(A)
and Tyneham(D). Picnicfacilitiesarealso
available
at Whitewaycar park.
SheetB0 (CheviotHillsand
OS Landranger
KielderForestArea)1:50,000
OSOutdoorLeisureSheet16 (TheCheviot
Hills1
) :25,000
o Do not sit undercliffsor climbthem.
Thereare publictoiletsat Tyneham(D), includ
ing a disabledtoilet.
o Pleaseprotectthe wildlife.Do not collect
specimensof flowers,birds'eggs,insectsor
fossilswithoutpermission.
Usefulcontactdetails
Site description/history
A recording
of up to dateinformation
can be
heardby phoning:01929 46272I Ext.4819
in the form of Roman
A militarypresence,
areaas long
legions,
existedln the Otterburn
AD. In
agoas the firstand secondcenturies
of
1911, the WarOfficebought7,690 hectares
landand the artilleryrangeswereextended
duringthe SecondWorldWar.
How to get there
Local bus services
The DorsetLink-Rider,
whichonlyoperates
on
summerSundaysbetweenJulyand September,
provides
a link betweenSwanage
and
Weymouth.
Thereis oneservicein the morning
whichstopsat TynehamLane,closeto the
Whitewaycar parkand oneservicein the early
evening.
Furtherbusservices
can be pickedup at East
Lulworth:
o 29 - Mondays
to Fridays(exceptPublic
Holidays)
connecting
to Swanage,
Wooland
Wareham.
o 30 - Mondays
to Fridays(exceptPublic
Holidays)
connecting
to Weymouth.
o 103 - Mondays
(exceptPublic
to Saturdays
Holidays)
connecting
to Bovington
and
Dorchester.
o 225 - Tuesdays,
Thursdaysand Saturdays
*,EE
iExtensivecircular routeovet the lotnety,windswept ridgesand hiltsalong the watershedforming
the England -Scotland border.
Forinformation
on walking/transport
in the area
contactPurbeckTouristInformation
Centre,
HolyTrinityChurch,
SouthStreet,
Wareham,
B H 2 O4 L U
fel: 07929 552140 Fa* OI929 55449I
Furthertransportinformation
can be obtained
from DorsetCountyCouncilPassenger
TransportTel: 01305 225165
Otherusefulpublications
Ministryof Defence(2000) Walkson the
LulworthRangesLeaflet.
The Armyin
Co-operation
with the Public.
Astin,J & Waller,H (l9BB) Tyneham
Trail
Leaflet.
CountrysideCommission/Ordnance
Survey
(1999) NationalTrustGuide11: SouthWest
CoastPath-Exmouth
to Poole.
Leighton,B (MediaSupportWing)A Short
Leaflet
t
StartingGrid Reference:GR 824 108
OtterburnTrainingArea (OTA)now consistsof
of land,all ownedby
some22,900 hectares
the MOD,and is the largestsinglefirlngrange
intothreeseparate
in the UK. lt is partitioned
Range,Otterburn
DangerAreas:Redesdale
Demolition
Areaand has
Range,Bellshiels
threeOutsideGunAreas.Some30,000
soldiersusethe areaeachyear.The Cheviot
Areais to the northof thesefour
Dry Training
areas.
Arealieswithin
The majorityof tlrc Training
N o r t h u m b e r l aN
r rirril i o r t aPla r ka n dc o n t a i n s
Interest,
thirieenSitesof Splt:irrlSr;it:tttific
a st
i n c l u d i ntgh e a t t t : t l t tl lt , t yt t t r ' , t t l o w
B a r f O W b Ubrgns r r llll r l l i r v l r( : r ) ( l l t (T, 1l t.e r ea r e
' r'lt lrr l l l ) o r l i l l l ( l c ,
a l s o m a n y s i t t t so l , t r , l 1 1 r ' r r l , r 1
n o t a b l y t h e R o t t t , t t rl l t t t 1 r ' t l t l r r " , ^{,irr l l t t , t t t t l
l r | r ' 1 ,l l r r '
S i x m a f C h i n gc t l l l l l ) ' , l I r r i I r ' r '
Ir
i
RomanRoadfrottlY|rfI.'
93 miles(149km)of
Thereareapproximately
paths
publicrightsof way and permissive
the area,of which53 miles(85km)
crossing
areopenat all times.
Walk description
Bridge(A - GR
Fromthe car parkat Buckham's
824 108), walk backalongthe roadto
Blindburn.
Therearetwo routeoptionsfrom
herefor the firstsectionof the walk:
Option 1 (High LevelRoute)
Thefirstoptionis a high levelwalk.At
turn left up the hill beforethe farm
Blindburn
(B - GR 829 i0B) and ascendthe ridge
towardY
s e a r n i nLga w( C - G R B l 8 1 1 8 ) . l t i s
possible
summit
to climb up to the crenellated
of YearningLaw,or to traversearoundthe
sideof the summitand thento
southwesterly
RiverCoquet(Kenlaylor,AskenLtd)
continueup to point(D - GR 8I2 127) where
at a col.
the two routeoptionsconverge
Option2 (ValleyRoute)
The secondoptiontakesyou up the valleyof
afterthe
Blindburnby turningleft immediately
farmat Blindburn(E - GR 830 109). Aftera
r r r i l e( 1 , 6 k m )o f g e n t l ea s c e n tY, e a r n i nHga l li s
' r , ; r c l r c( df G R 8 2 4 i 2 O ) , c o m p r i s i nag
47
ruinedhut, enclosure
and a few solitarypines.
Fromherethe walk continues
up the valley
a n d i n t ot h e c o l ( D - G R8 1 2 1 2 7 ) .T h i si s a
lessexposedroute.
From(D),the pathcontoursroundbelowLamb
Hill until,at the crestof the ridge,the Yearning
SaddleMountainRefugeHut is reached
(G - GR 804 129). This offersa welcome
(andthe only)respitefrom persistent
wind on
the walk.Turnrighthereand followthe ridge
northeastwards
overLambHill, Beefstand
Hill, MozieLaw,pastPleaKnowe(H - GR 835
1 5 0 ) a n df i n a l l yW
, i n d yG y t ei l ) , k e e p i ntgh e
- a distance
borderfenceon the leftthroughout
of about4'l miles(7.2km).Viewsnorthwards
into Scotland
areconsistently
goodandthe
viewtowardsCheviotitselfimproves
at Windy
G y l e( l - c R 8 5 6 1 5 3 ) .W i n d yG y t ei s d i s t i n c tive because
of its TrigPointand Russell,s
C ai r n .
FromWindyGyle(l), turn south-eastwards
crossing
a stile/fence.
Continuein the same
directionuntil,afterabout140m, a trackis
reacheddescending
eastwards.
Followthis
until,aftera further180m, a path markeris
reachedwherethe trackforks(J - GR 864
146). Takethe righthandroute.Thisdescends
sharplyoverpleasant
grassland
becoming
a
broadbut well definedridge,with dark,coniferouswoodlandin the valleybottomto the left
and a steepdropintothe barevalleyon the
right.Thefarm buildingsat Trows(K - GR 855
I 26) soonappear.
A goodtrackpassesthe
farm and continues
on to the surfacedroad
down the valley.Followthe roadto Rowhope
(L - GR 854 123) wheretherearetwo route
optrons:
Option3 (RoadRoute)
Thefirstoptioncontinues
downthe roadto
join the mainvalleyroadafterabout365m
(lvl- GR 859 115). Turnrightand headback
up the valley,alongthe roadto Blindburn(B)
and Buckham's
Bridge(A) beyond.This route
is a low levelroadwalk.
Option4 (BridlewayRoute)
Alternatively,
the secondrouteoption is more
w a l k i n gA. t R o w h o p(eL - G R 8 4 5 1 2 3 )t a k e
the bridleway
crossing
the RowhopeBurnto
ascendthe HindsideKnowe(N - cR 850 118),
and thentraversearoundthe ridgedownto
(0 - GR 838 t 17). Pickup the main
Carlcroft
roadup the CoquetValley,backto Blindburn
and Buckham's
Bridge(A).
Option5 (Bad WeatherEscapeRoute)
Shouldweatherconditions
be bad,an escape
routefrom the sectionof the routebetween
Y e a r n i nHgi l l( G )a n d W i n d yG y l e( t ) c a n b e
taken.Turnright(south)at PleaKnowe
( H - G R8 3 5 1 5 0 ) b a c kd o w nt o H i n d s i d e
K n o w e( N - c R 8 5 0 1 1 8 ) ,f o t t o w i nTgh e
Street,(an old drovers'road
intoScotland)
and
(O - GR 838 117) and
then on to Carlcroft
backto the car parkat Buckham's
Bridge(A)
alongthe road.
accessis restricted
to thoseroads,tracksor
pathsoutsidethe byelawed
area.
CheviotDry Training
Areado nottouchor
pick up any metalobjectslyingon the
grouno.
o Roads,bridleways
and footpathsmarkedin
greenon the map may be usedat anytime,
evenwhenthe redflagsor lampsare
flown/shown
or barriers
are closedto denote
livefiringon the livefiringareato the south
of the CheviotDry Training
Area.
. Theweatherin the Cheviots
is changeable
an0 can Decome
severeevenIn summer.
Thereis virtuallyno shelteralongthe whole
lengthof the walk. Do not set out unlessyou
havesuitableclothingandfootwear.
( i e b l a n ka m m u n i o A l t h o u g oh n l yd r y t r a i n i n g
tion and pyrotechnics)
takesplacewithinthe
. The areais very remoteand lackingin distinctfeatures.lt is advisable
that someone
A C C E SA
STA L LT I I V E S
Roads
Bridleways
NO ACCESS IF RED FLAG FLOWN
MODLANDS
W A R N I N GS I G N S
I
FLAGS
(also lamps at nigh0
Footpaths
Pointsof interest
o The UpperCoquetValleyprovides
wonderful
h i l l w a l k i ncgo u n t r yg i v i n gt h ew a l k e a
r sense
of the 'wilderness'
experience.
TrainingArea
?
R,ttr,, Sircs
WoodlandTrainjngArea
E
Car part
IiFl
fJl
Live Firing Range
DangerArea
n
T l a i n i n g A r e aB o u n d a r y
kilometres
@ Crown Copyright
. Remotefarmsteads
nestlingin the valleys
belowthe barehillsides.
Circularstone
(knownlocallyas 'sheepstells')
sheepfolds
are a commonlandscape
featurein the area,
.J
I
I
I
r OTAincludesmanyvaluablewildlifehabitats
i n c l u d i nagn c i e nw
t o o d l a n d sh,e a t h em
r oorland,peatbogsand uplandburns.Wildlife
species
foundin this arealncludeRed
Squirrel,
GoldenPlover,BlackGrouse,
and
Curlew.
Restrictions/access
ti mes
The recommended
walk fallswithinthe
CheviotDry Training
Areaand is outsidethe
MOD'sbyelawed
area.The rightsof way in this
areaareaccessible
at all times.However,
military personnel/vehicles
engaging
in military
trainingactivities
may be encountered.
The
landis usedfor tacticaltrainingonly,using
b l a n ka m m u n i t i oann d p y r o t e c h n i c s .
I
fhgs or lampsareflown/shown
to denoteIivefiring,
r-Option
I
5
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
G
-.O
oilion'
*:,'...1....t
Carlcroft
Hiil
lcj:ur,;tbi
Option
t-j,
i
I
I
I
I
I
,,#o"
."T"lir:th*;
-{!t
=-3.rr,'
eOdion3
*.r
Road
Option
Barrowburp
Safety
(SeealsoGeneralSafetySectionat start of
booklet).
t
Brorrt/td, l Ldtr
Signll Sl,rtr,,l
l
in the walkingpartycan competently
navigatewith a map and compass.lf needed
thereare numerous
escaperoutes- every
burnflowingsouthwill leadto the road.
How to get there
Local bus services
Thereare no busservices
in this area. Access
by privatecar or
to the areais onlypossible
bicyclealongthe roadfrom Alwinton.In winter,
Thereis
drivingconditions
may be hazardous.
no accessfrom the west.
Localfacilities
Therearecar parkingand picnicfacilitiesat
Blindburnand WedderLeap.Thereis a pub
and toiletfacilities
at Alwinton
Mobiletelephonenetworkcoverageis very poor
at
in this area,but thereare publictelephones
W i n d yH a u g ha n dA l w i n t o n .
Usefulcontactdetails
Formoredetailedinformationon safetyand
accessto OTAcontactthe RangeControl
Officeron 01830 520569.
in
Programmes
of walks,eventsand activities
this areacan be obtainedfrom the
NationalParkAuthority
Northumberland
(NNPA)at Eastburn,
SouthPark,Hexham,
Northumberland
NE46 1BS
Tel:01434 605555 Fax:01434 600522
www.nnpa.org.uK
Thereis an NNPAVisitorCentreat Rothburv,
T e l : 0 1 6 6 96 2 0 8 8 7 .
pointin
Thereis alsoa NNPAinformation
HarbottlePostOffice,open between9.00am
and 1.00pmMondayto Friday.
Otherusefulpublications
National
Ministryof Defence/Northumberland
ParkAuthorityOtterburnTrainingArea:Public
AccessGuide (Thisgivesinformationon other
walksin the area)
National
Ministryof Defence/Northumberland
ParkAuthorityUpperCoquetValley- Access
Guide.
NorthumberlandNationalPark Authority
Landof the Far Horizons.Freevisitorpaper.
A ghort circular walk thtough mixeddeciduousand coniferouswaodland.
Distance:2'r, miles(4 km)
Duration:1'l, hours
Grade: .ta.
OS Map Sheet(s)
OS Landranger
Sheet189 (Ashford& Romney
M a r s h )1 : 5 0 , 0 0 0
Sheet138 (Dover,Folkestone
&
OS Explorer
H y t h e )1 : 2 5 , 0 0 0
StartingGridReference:
G R2 1 34 0 9
Site description/
Fromthe car park(A - GR 213 409), follow
the bridleway
northwards
to the edgeof the
w o o d( B - G R 2 1 4 4 1 3 ) . O n m e e t i n a
g gravellylsemimetalledtrack,turn leftand continueto
followthe edgeof the woodland.
Afterabout
1 k m ,( C - G R 2 1 9 4 2 1 ) f o l l o wt h e p a t h ,r i g h t ,
backintothe wood,downa narrowtrack.At
(D - GR 222 42O)takethe leftfork andfollow
the pathsouthwestwards.
Whenyou reachthe
edgeof the wood,follow
the waymarkers,
directing
you backto the car park
( A - G R2 1 3 4 0 9 ) .
history
Pointsof
interest
ReindenWoodis in part
nf tho
'Fact
l(ont
Flrv
Training
Area',which
extendsin smallblocks
in an arc betweenHythe
and Dover,extending
a
f e w m i l e si n l a n dT. h i s
areaaroundDoveris
steepedin militaryhistory goingbackfor centuries.The EastKentDry
Areais ruralin
Training
character,
and is used
extensively
by the military for tacticaltraining
Woodlandtrack through Reinden Wood
exerctses.
Coquet Valley
Situatedwithinthe KentDownsAreaof
NaturalBeauty,Reinden
Woodis
Outstanding
an importanthabitatfor woodlandplantsand
butterflies.
Walk description
wni t h
T h i sw a l kw a sd r : v c l o l r r ,rrrrl : o n j u n c t i o
W h i t eC l i f f sC o u t t l t y ' , r lr'irlo l r ' r :F1o. l l o wt h e
R e i n d eW
n o o df i r l i l r l r r r ' , 1 ' , , r 1lol r r1:rio u t e .
Information
boardsalong
the walk providea description of pointsof interestin
the woods,including:
o Nightingales
nestingin
the woodland.
. Remains
of surfaceair
partof a
raidshelters,
SecondWorldWar military
village.
Restrictions/access
times
Reinden
Woodis partof
the Dry Training
Areasand
thus accessto the walk is available
at all
times.The path is a combination
of publicbripathsagreedwith the
dlewayand permissive
MOD.lt is possible
that you will meetmilitary
personnel/vehicles
engaging
in militaryactivities or the estatestaff carryingout forestry
The land is usedfor tacticaltraining
activities.
only,usingblankammunition
and pyrotechnics.
51