Breamish Valley - Cochrane Pike

Turf Knowe Tri-Radial CairnAn invigorating walk with spectacular views.

Grade: Medium
Length: 4.25 miles (6.84km)

Points of interest

This walk takes you through moorland sheep country surrounded by the sounds of the curlew, oyster catcher, skylark and meadow pipit.

You may see buzzard or kestrel or the recently-arrived red kite in the skies, and the heron in the river valley.

The underlying rock of the Cheviot Hills is volcanic Andersite – an impervious granite that is pink in the ground,weathering to grey.

At Turf Knowe, the remains of two Bronze Age (2,500 to 800 BC) burials can be seen – a circular group of stones surrounds two cists or “coffins” on one side, and slightly higher up is a tri-radial cairn (three-armed). The finds from these sites can be seen at the National Park Visitor Centre,with a film about the excavations.

To the east, cultivation terraces can be seen on the hillside which were used to grow barley and oats.

Faced with a shortage of well-drained flat land, ancient people went to considerable effort to create additional space for crops.

On Cochrane Pike, the remains of four hut circles can be made out.

Local facilities

The Poacher’s Rest at Hedgeley Services just north of Powburn on the A697 serves food and drink all day.

The services has a petrol station and farm shop/butchers - Meat of Excellence. Located in Powburn village,The Plough Inn is a family-run pub serving home-cooked dishes such as fresh trout and game pie.

Refreshments, gifts and an information service is available at our National Park Centre, Ingram which is an ideal base for starting out on a number of walks or for just spending a day exploring the valley.

The centre is home to a fascinating display of local archaeology with interactive exhibits and examples of Bronze Age pottery.

Download the Cochrane Pike walk guide.

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GPS download

Download the GPS route for this walk (GPX format)

Please note: this GPS route has not been walked, and is only to be used as a guide. Always take the correct map with you.