Take a walk through moorland sheep country

Take an invigorating walk to Cochrane Pike to see some spectacular views.

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.

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 Ingram Cafe, 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.

Download the PDF guide to Cochrane Pike Walk

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Walk overview

Walk difficulty
Moderate
Walk distance
4.5 miles / 7.2km
Walk duration
3 hours
Location
The Cheviots
Recommended OS Map
OS Explorer OL16
Accessible
No
Dog friendly
No

Step by step route

From the car park follow the woodland path

From the car park go along the woodland path, signed Ingram Café. On reaching the car park turn right and follow the road up to the village hall on the left. Go through the gate and up the hard track towards Prendwick, as indicated by the fingerpost.

Go through the gate

Go through the gate and follow the hard track around to the right and then left uphill keeping the fence on the left. Continue on this track through the gate and onward to the next gate. Go through this gate and head straight up the track to the crest of the hill. As the track forks and the main track continues straight on, take the less obvious route to the right.

Skirt around Wether Hill

Skirt around Wether Hill following the quad track up towards the summit of Cochrane Pike.

From the summit of Cochrane Pike turn right

From the summit of Cochrane Pike turn right, and following the track downhill. . Cross the stile and drop down into the Dene and follow the footpath to another stile on the right. After crossing this stile, follow the very narrow footpath uphill until the fort/settlement is reached. Turn sharp left and follow the footpath up to thegate in the corner of the fence.

Once through the gate turn right along the fence

Once through the gate turn right and follow the track, keeping the fence on the right. Approximately 250m along this fenceline you come to another gate. Go through the gate and bear left across the enclosure, heading for the corner of the wall.

Beyond the corner of the wall is another gate, go through the gate and carry on down the track through the bracken, keeping the old stone boundary on your right.

Keep Turf Knowe on your left

Continue on down the hill, following the main track, keeping Turf Knowe on the left. Stay on this track and on joining the valley road turn right and carry on through Ingram village back to the car park.

Walk route

Getting there

The starting point for the walk is at Ingram Bridge Car Park.

From Wooler take the A697 south, just before Powburn take the right signed ‘Ingram’. Continue on this road for approx 3 miles, cross the bridge over the River Breamish and the car park is on the left.

Grid Ref: NU 017 163

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