“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted...” – Bill Bryson
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| (Carter Bar, the Scottish/England border) |
Date: 8 May 2017 (Monday)
Route: Gateshead – Carter Bar
Distance: 49 miles (1 hr 9 min)
From Gateshead, we planned to cross Norththumberland National Park to the England/Scotland border.
We drove on the A696 through the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than 1,000 square km between the Scottish border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall, and it is one of the least populated and least visited of the National Parks. The park lies entirely within Northumberland, covering about a quarter of the county.
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| (A beautiful day for a road trip to the border) |
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| (Crossing the Norththumberland National Park) |
In the north are the Cheviot Hills, a range of hills that mark the border between England and Scotland. Further south, the hills give way to areas of rolling moorland, some of which have been covered by forestry plantations. The 10,000-year history of human habitation of the region is explored through the many archaeological sites, ranging from prehistoric monuments and Roman remains to Pele towers, constructed as a defence against Border Reivers.
Nearing the border, out of nowhere we passed a small village and saw the sign of The Last Café in England. The cafe also known as Camien Café is a few miles from the England/Scotland border. It offers a nice range of food, from sandwiches to oven-baked dishes. A short stop here is a nice way to break up the journey to or from Scotland. The Camien Cafe is one of a dying breed. Luckily it is thriving and a haven for hungry thirsty travellers in need of a hearty meal or a steaming pot of tea or coffee.
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| (An authentic last cafe in England) |
We did not make a stop at the the cafe but continued driving until we reached a reservoir. The Catcleugh Reservoir is a reservoir in Northumberland adjacent to the A68 road just north of Byrness; and to the south of the border with Scotland. The reservoir was constructed for the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company. The reservoir forms part of a series of reservoirs along the A68 which are connected by tunnels and aqueducts from Catcleugh Reservoir to Whittle Dene from where drinking water is supplied to Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, and some surrounding areas. The reservoir is fed by the River Rede.
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| (A brief stop by the reservoir) |
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| (The supply of drinking water to the surrounding area) |
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| (Having a cup of hot coffee on the mountain) |
Driving a few miles after our short rest by the reservoir, we reached the England/Scotland border view point at Carter Bar.
Carter Bar is a point on the England–Scotland border, in Roxburghshire and Northumberland. Carter Bar is where the A68 road crosses the border and forms a pass located at the top of Redesdale in the Cheviot Hills at an elevation of 418 metres.
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| (Arriving at the border viewpoint) |
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| (The boundary stone at Carter Bar) |
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| (Stepping just over the border into Scotland) |
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| (A welcoming signage at Carter Bar) |
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| (View over the Scottish border from Carter bar) |
The nearest Scottish towns near the border are Jedburgh 12 miles north, Hawick, and Kelso, and on the English side, Byrness, Redesdaleand Otterburn. From Carter Bar summit, the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, is only 58 miles away. The A696–A68 route is a popular scenic tourist route between Newcastle and Edinburgh.
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| (Stopping at an Alpaca farm) |
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| (Jedburgh Abbey, one of the many castles on the way) |
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| (The quiet country road to Edinburgh) |
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