Along the Tweed from The Most Dangerous Place In England

Richard Hardy

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This is a fantastic figure-of-eight walk from a fantastic castle along the banks and through woods and across fields to the castle again and the setting off through woods again to reach the Tweed and return along the river as it winds through sandstone cliffs.

This is the very edge of England; Scotland is in view for quite a lot of the walk. This proximity to the Auld Enemy is the reason for Norham Castle's existence; built by the powerful Prince Bishops of Durham it stands high on the cliffs above the Tweed fords at Norham. On several occasions invading Scottish armies have besieged it, on two occasions they flattened it, the last time in 1513, after which it was rebuilt more effectively to use gunpowder artillery. But ninety years later the Act of Union brought its time as a frontier fortress to an end. Who knows, someday soon it may once again stand between two independent countries.

In Bishop Percy's ballad 'The Hermit of Warkworth' and Walter Scott's 'Marmion', Norham is called 'the most dangerous place in England'. Go do the walk, see for yourself.

England - North England - Northumberland - Tweed Valley