Every significant peak in Northumberland, from The Cheviot at 815 metres to the ancient hillforts of the foothills.
Northumberland is defined by its hills. The Cheviots form a granite backbone along the Scottish border, the Simonside range guards the south, and scattered hillforts mark where our ancestors chose to stand and watch. Here is every significant summit, measured and mapped.
Height Chart
Each bar is proportional to height. The Cheviot at 815m sets the scale. Hover for notes on each summit.
Cheviot Hills
The Cheviot
815m
Highest point in Northumberland; county top; boggy summit plateau
Cairn Hill
777m
Subsidiary summit of The Cheviot on its western ridge
Auchope Cairn
726m
Western spur of The Cheviot massif near Hen Hole
Hedgehope Hill
714m
Second highest distinct summit in Northumberland
Comb Fell
652m
Between The Cheviot and Hedgehope Hill
Windy Gyle
619m
Summit cairn (Russell's Cairn) on the border; Pennine Way crosses here
Cushat Law
616m
Highest point entirely south of the main Cheviot ridge
Bloodybush Edge
610m
Southernmost Cheviot Nuttall; just reaches 2000ft
The Schil
601m
Just 9m short of mountain status at 2000ft
Dunmoor Hill
569m
Rocky summit outcrop; Cunyan Crags nearby
Wholhope Hill
563m
Trig point summit in the southern Cheviots (Wether Cairn)
Sighty Crag
520m
Classified as a Marilyn (prominence 297m)
Lamb Hill
511m
On the Pennine Way near the border
Shillhope Law
501m
Southern Cheviots; prominence of 158m
Border / Kielder
Peel Fell
602m
Highest hill in the Kielder Forest area; on the border
Simonside Hills
Tosson Hill
440m
Highest point of the Simonside range; classified as a Marilyn
Simonside
429m
The best-known summit of the range; legendary home of the Simonside Dwarves
Dove Crag
393m
Prehistoric burial cairn on summit
Harbottle / Coquet Valley
Cold Law
361m
Also known as Harbottle Crag; prominent local landmark
Foothills & Hillforts
Yeavering Bell
361m
Largest Iron Age hillfort in Northumberland on its twin summits
Ros Castle
315m
Iron Age hillfort; highest point between Alnwick and Berwick
Wether Hill
303m
Iron Age hillfort on summit near Ingram
Humbleton Hill
298m
Site of the 1402 Battle of Homildon Hill
The Skyline
A simplified silhouette of Northumberland's peaks as they might appear on the horizon. Heights are proportional. Scroll horizontally on smaller screens.
By the Numbers
The Cheviot Hills contain all of Northumberland's highest ground. Every summit above 500 metres lies within or on the edge of the Cheviot massif, a dome of granite formed 380 million years ago and capped with peat bog that makes the highest tops some of the soggiest places in England.
23
Significant peaks listed
815m
Highest point (The Cheviot)
8
Nuttalls (over 2000ft / 610m)
517m
Height range (815m to 298m)
Yeavering Bell (361m) may be modest in height, but it carries the largest Iron Age hillfort in Northumberland on its twin summits. Over 130 hut circles have been identified within its stone ramparts. The nearby Anglo-Saxon royal palace of Ad Gefrin, discovered in 1949, was where King Edwin held court.
Simonside (429m) is the legendary home of the Simonside Dwarves — malicious creatures from Border folklore who would lure travellers off the paths with flickering lights and into the bogs. Locals knew them as the duergar. The crags along the ridge are spectacular, and the walking is among the best in Northumberland.
Explore Northumberland's Landscape
These hills sit within and around Northumberland National Park — England's most sparsely populated national park, home to Hadrian's Wall, the darkest skies in England, and vast tracts of land where you can walk all day without seeing another person.
For a broader view of the county, see our Explore Northumberland page — castles, coast, and countryside.