4 - Cheviots : Analysis: Ecosystem Services

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Soils
• Semi-natural habitats
• Watercourses Livestock

State – Agriculture is limited by the harsh climate, topography and low grade soils but the area is important for rearing hardy livestock: 53,000 sheep and 2,000 store cattle which are extensively grazed on upland pasture and moorland.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – Food provision is an important activity in the area, supporting the local economy, playing an increasingly important role in supporting tourism in the area, and in the process helping encourage a locally sustainable green economy, and maintaining rare habitats. Hardy sheep and cattle are sold for cross-breeding to produce animals for the meat industry and cattle are also sold directly for meat.

Overgrazing of sensitive upland habitats has been an issue in this NCA but is now being addressed through agri-environment schemes and other initiatives such as Cheviot Futures.

The retention of viable mixed farming in the NCA is important both to the local economy and for the maintenance of the characteristic landscape and habitats. Agri-environment schemes have comprised a significant proportion of farm income in the area and any reduction in future funding could hit the farming sector in this NCA harder than many.

Opportunities – Work with the farming community to ensure good soil and nutrient management, protection of historic and other environmental features, and sustainable water use.

Supporting sustainable grazing through agri-environment schemes and other initiatives is particularly important in this upland landscape. This may involve reducing or increasing stocking numbers, increasing stock management or encouraging upland razing by cattle, depending on the area.

Promote the use of new technology and best practice to increase the value of food production and farm profitability where this can enable profitable and more sustainable farming systems.

Ensure agri-environment schemes are used to best effect to conserve and enhance wildlife-rich habitats and support the production of traditional food products such as lamb, mutton, beef and game using methods that sustain a healthy moorland environment, marketing them with reference to the special landscapes that their production helps to maintain, and stating the role they play in encouraging a locally sustainable green economy that supports tourism in the area.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Food provision
• Water availability
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating soil quality
• Regulating soil erosion
• Climate regulation
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Soils
• Conifer plantations and broadleaved woodland

State – The NCA contains over 3,819 ha of commercial plantations such as Kidland Forest covering more than 10.5 per cent of the NCA. (The actual area covered by plantations is probably greater than this as this figure does not include new planting or recently felled areas.)

741 ha of broadleaved woodland is found in the cleughs and river valleys.

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – The softwood provision in this NCA is locally significant. Many of the conifer plantations are now reaching maturity and some are being felled. Conifers can acidify watercourses so any new planting should consider the impacts on these. Felling can also impact on water quality through sedimentation and operations should be conducted in such a way as to minimise this risk.

Kidland Forest will continue to be managed as a commercial plantation. Kidland and Uswayford are being managed as a red squirrel reserves with felling and replanting plans that will benefit the red squirrel population that persists there and minimise the risk of colonisation by grey squirrels, in combination with grey squirrel control.

In some areas such as the College Valley Estate the plan is to gradually replace extensive coniferous plantations with a mix of broadleaved species and heather moorland, and in others such as Threestoneburn Wood the plan is to fell the plantation and restore to heather moorland with compensatory broadleaved planting elsewhere.

Timber provision is likely to reduce in this NCA as conifer plantations are diversified but opportunities for provision of wood fuel could increase.

One of the Environment Agency’s preferred approaches to managing flood risk in downstream NCAs is afforestation in upland parts of the catchment (North East Northumberland Catchment Flood Management Plan, Summary Report, Environment Agency, 2009) and there are opportunities for large scale planting from valley bottoms up onto hillsides, but any new woodland planting should take into account the impact on the smooth, rounded lines and open vistas that are characteristic of the landscape and aim to increase the biodiversity interest of the area.

Opportunities – Continue to produce timber, but seek ways to reduce the visual dominance of conifer plantations on the valley slopes, through removal or restructuring with broadleaved planting, and enhance recreation and access opportunities. Ensure forestry operations do not contribute to the acidification or sedimentation of watercourses.

Use opportunities created by the felling of plantations to restore priority open habitats such as grassland and heath as appropriate, and find compensation sites for planting elsewhere.

Encourage the regeneration of semi-natural woodland and wood pasture on valley slopes and tributary valleys, diversifying the age structure of the woodland and strengthening landscape character. This could contribute to local provision of wood fuel while strengthening habitat networks, stabilising soil, reducing soil erosion and potentially assisting with water quality along watercourses.

Planting new woodland on slopes elsewhere in the area, on a large scale where appropriate to landscape character, would maximise benefits in flood control and prevention of erosion in this and downstream NCAs.

Manage key conifer plantations to benefit red squirrels, avoiding the clear-felling of areas and avoiding re-planting with large-seeded deciduous species.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Timber provision
• Biomass provision
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Regulating soil erosion
• Regulating water flow
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Recreation
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Headwaters of the River Till and River Coquet
• High rainfall in the Cheviots flowing down into the Cheviot Fringe

State – The headwaters of two major river systems, the River Till and River Coquet, arise in this NCA.

The River Till with its tributaries represents the major catchment in the NCA, much of which is part of the River Tweed SAC and abstractions are therefore currently consented by Natural England. Summer abstraction from the River Till for agricultural irrigation, particularly of high value root crops, is consented up to the sustainable level and no additional water is currently available during the summer months. It is likely that all surface waters will move to ‘no water available’ when the Environment Agency become responsible for licensing abstractions from the Till (Till Abstraction Licensing Strategy, Environment Agency, 2013).

The River Coquet in the south of the NCA is part of the Northumberland Rivers Catchment Area Management Strategy area in which the predominant land use is agriculture but the predominant (80 per cent) use of abstracted water is public water supply, followed by industrial and commercial (11 per cent). The Upper Coquet has ‘water available’ (Northumberland Rivers Abstraction Licensing Strategy, Environment Agency, 2013).

The NCA does not overlie any major aquifers.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – The high rainfall and very low population density of this NCA mean this NCA plays a critical role in supplying the adjacent NCAs with water. Water is abstracted from the Till for irrigation of high value root crops in the Cheviot Fringe and water is abstracted from the Coquet in the Cheviot Fringe, Northumberland Sandstone Hills and beyond predominantly for public water supply.

The large extent of semi-natural habitats allows good overall rainwater retention and increases opportunity for groundwater recharge. The ability of a catchment to maintain a constant flow rather than experience flood and drought episodes is improved by healthy soils and peat and wetland ecosystems with good vegetative cover.

Climate change may adversely impact on water availability through increased summer droughts and wetter winters with more heavy rainfall events. This, combined with the restrictions on abstraction from the Rivers Till/Tweed due to their designation as a SAC makes it imperative that water is used sustainably and land management practices are employed which will increase water infiltration and maintain a constant flow to downstream NCAs.

Opportunities – Seek opportunities to restore semi-natural habitats such as blanket bog , wet heath, mires, flushes, wet woodland and grassland to improve water storage capacity while reducing flood risk and soil erosion, improving water quality, climate regulation, habitat networks and ecosystem resilience to climate change.

Improve sustainable use of water and sympathetic land management practices such as winter storage reservoirs, and water conservation measures in new development.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Water availability
• Food provision
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Regulating soil erosion
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Local and traditional livestock breeds
• A feral population of British primitive goats
• Semi-natural habitats

State – Cheviots and Northumberland Blackface sheep are native breeds that originate from this area.

A feral population of British primitive goats survives in the Cheviots.

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – Cheviots and Northumberland Blackface sheep are hardier than continental breeds and are particularly well-suited to the harsh climate, vegetation and topography of this area. This area is also grazed by Aberdeen Angus cattle, another traditional hardy breed which is well-suited to the harsh environment.

There is also a population of British feral goats, descended from domestic stock put out on the hills to graze by farmers centuries ago, which persist in the Cheviots. Very little is known about the population and research is currently underway to find out more.

Opportunities – Encourage the use of traditional breeds for conservation grazing and support farmers in attempts to capitalise on the environmental value and heritage/genetic value of these breeds.

Support farmers in recognising the commercial value of their traditional breeds through local food initiatives for the area, encouraging a green economy that supports local tourism.

Encourage landowners and managers to manage the wild goat population in a sustainable way that prevents overgrazing but maintains a viable population of this rare breed.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Genetic diversity
• Food provision
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Sense of history
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Existing woodland cover
• Semi-natural habitats

State – The existing woodland cover (15 per cent) offers moderately high potential for the provision of biomass, either through bringing unmanaged woodland under management or as a by-product of commercial timber production.

The NCA has low potential yield for both short rotation coppice (SRC) and miscanthus across most of its area with the exception of small, lowland areas on its eastern and southern boundary where potential SRC yield is high and potential Miscanthus yield is medium.

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – There are opportunities to increase wood fuel provision through bringing unmanaged woodland under management, as a by-product of commercial timber production, and through planting of new woodland for flood risk management. Management must take into account that deadwood is an important component of semi-natural woodland for biodiversity as well as nutrient cycling and soil formation, which underpin regulating services including soil quality/erosion, water quality and storage/sequestration of carbon.

Managing woodland has the potential to provide environmental benefits such as restoring, expanding and linking woodland habitat and stabilising soils, while providing social and economic benefits.

The potential for SRC plantations and Miscanthus is limited. While there are areas on the lower eastern and southern fringes where yields are predicted to be medium to high the impact on landscape character and risks of soil erosion are also likely to be high. In addition, there is no local market.

Opportunities – There are opportunities to manage, enhance and expand the woodland network by improving age structure, diversity and extent for long term survival, providing local sources of wood fuel.

Capitalise on opportunities provided by the felling of mature conifer plantations to restore broadleaf woodland on lower slopes and in the valleys and heathland and grassland on upper slopes, with compensatory planting in more suitable locations.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Biomass energy
• Timber provision
• Regulating water flow
• Regulating soil erosion
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Soils with high carbon content
• Woodland
• Grassland

State – Soil carbon levels are high (up to 50 per cent) across much of this NCA, associated with the large tracts of upland heath and blanket bog (covering 47 per cent of the area) and the generally peaty soils found across its upland moorland area.

Soils under woodland (15 per cent of NCA area) and grassland will also be relatively high in carbon and the woodland itself will provide carbon storage.

Main beneficiary – National

Analysis – The large areas of peaty soils in this NCA have the potential to store significant volumes of carbon but their capacity to act as carbon stores depends on the peat and associated habitats being in good hydrological and biological condition.

Some of the peat soils and associated habitats have been damaged by certain types of land management including drainage, overgrazing, heather burning and wildfires, and erosion by walkers and vehicles.

Since 2005 there has been widespread uptake of Environmental Stewardship with over 12,250 ha being managed to restore moorland and 6,500 ha being managed to maintain moorland by early 2013.

Sensitive land management and restoration measures such as grip-blocking should help to avoid further release of stored carbon to the atmosphere and could restore some of the carbon storage capacity and sequestration ability of the blanket bog and peat soils.

Trees and woodland shading watercourses will help regulate conditions for aquatic species under a changing climate by reducing water temperature and thereby maintaining available oxygen levels.

Trees and woodland in all locations also sequester carbon, help to regulate the impacts of severe weather events and provide potential sources of wood fuel.

Opportunities – Ensure that peat soils and associated habitats which are in good hydrological and biological condition remain under optimal land management regimes.

Seek opportunities to restore areas of blanket bog and wet heath through sustainable land management practices and programmes of work to restore good vegetative cover, so that the peat does not oxidise.

Encourage woodland management and planting in appropriate areas such as in the cleughs (and avoiding areas of deep peat) where it would also benefit water quality, flood alleviation and biodiversity without detracting from the landscape, historic environment and recreation opportunities.

Protect existing semi-natural grassland through sustainable land management practices such as reducing applications of artificial fertilisers and encouraging extensive grazing regimes to maintain the carbon stored in agricultural soils.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Climate regulation
• Biomass energy
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Regulating soil quality
• Regulating soil erosion
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Biodiversity

No information available.

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• High rainfall
• Rivers
• Extensive semi-natural vegetation, particularly peat soils

State – For information regarding the current state of water quality within this NCA, refer to the Environment Agency (Draft river basin management plan maps).

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – This NCA is noted for the high quality of the headwaters which arise and flow through the extensively farmed and managed semi-natural habitats of this area.

The River Till and its tributaries are part of the Till/Tweed SAC and the River Coquet is designated as a SSSI. The water quality of these rivers and their tributaries is essential to the survival of the Atlantic salmon, sea trout, otter, brook and river lamprey, water vole, water crowfoot, river jelly lichen, freshwater pearl mussel and rich invertebrate fauna for which they support. The Rivers Till/Tweed and Coquet are also nationally important game fisheries.

There are some issues of diffuse pollution associated with sheep dips, phosphate levels and sediment run- off (Catchment 25: Tweed, Aln, Coquet and Coastal Streams, Capital Grant Scheme – Funding Priority Statement 2013/14, Natural England; Catchment Sensitive Farming: Northumbria and Solway Tweed (Tweed) River Basin District Strategy 2012 to 2014, Natural England and Environment Agency, 2012), which are being addressed by a Diffuse Water Pollution plan through initiatives such as Catchment Sensitive Farming and agri-environment schemes; the NCA falls within the Tweed, Aln, Coquet and Coastal Streams Priority Catchment designated under Defra’s Catchment Sensitive Farming initiative.

Good farming practices to help reduce the risks of pollution in the NCA include minimising pollution from sheep dips, maintaining good soil structure, minimising bank erosion by stock, and appropriate timing and application of manure and fertiliser.

Clear-felling of conifer plantations has the potential to cause a release of silt into water courses through surface run-off; operations must be conducted in ways to minimise this risk.

Invasive species such as Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed and signal crayfish are all problematic in the lower stretches of the Till and Coquet catchments and signal crayfish in particular has the potential to spread upstream. Monitoring and controlling these species will be important in ensuring the continued good quality of the water and condition of the SSSI and SAC.

Opportunities – Promote land management practices that reduce or prevent water pollution such as updating sheep-dipping facilities and managing flocks to minimise pollution from sheep dipping, and application of manure/fertiliser at appropriate levels/times/locations.

Create buffer strips along watercourses, and erect stock fencing along river banks where appropriate.

Encourage good soil management including carrying out farming operations in appropriate weather conditions.

Ensure moorland grazing and burning regimes are sustainable and do not damage the peaty soils or associated habitats, and seek opportunities to restore blanket bog to reduce soil erosion.

Seek opportunities to restore and enhance riparian and woodland habitats, particularly managing and expanding woodland along watercourses and restructuring of upland plantations to improve infiltration, stabilise banks and reduce soil erosion.

Opportunities should be sought to restore degraded peatland habitats.

Continue to monitor and control the spread of invasive species in the watercourses.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Regulating water quality
• Water availability
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water flow
• Regulating soil erosion
• Regulating soil quality
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Geology
• Extensive semi- natural habitats, particularly wetlands and woodlands

State – The NCA contains the headwaters of the River Till and its tributaries (College Burn, Harthope Burn, and River Breamish) as well as headwaters of the River Coquet and burns flowing to it (Usway Burn, River Alwin). All of these streams drain the uplands of the Cheviot Hills within the NCA where the steep slopes, impermeable soils and heavy rainfall mean that the watercourses respond quickly to rainfall and have a high propensity to change course and cause downstream flooding. Flood risk to people and property within the NCA itself is insignificant because of its sparse population and rural upland nature but occurs downstream in the Cheviot Fringe NCA (for example in Wooler on a burn flowing to the River Till), in the Northumberland Sandstone Hills NCA (for example in Rothbury on the River Coquet) and in the North Northumberland Coastal Plain NCA (for example in Warkworth on the River Coquet).

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – The Environment Agency’s preferred approaches to managing flood risk in the Till and Coquet catchments relevant to this NCA include promotion of sustainable land management practices that reduce the amount and rate of runoff and erosion, and investigation of the benefits of afforestation in upland parts of the catchment (Till and Breamish Catchment Flood Management Plan Summary Report, Environment Agency, 2009; North East Northumberland Catchment Flood Management Plan Summary Report, Environment Agency, 2009).

Woodland planting will contribute to a more ecologically robust network of native broadleaved woodland and strengthen landscape character, but choice of location should take into account the possibility of below-ground archaeology and avoid damage to heritage assets.

There is potential to reduce flooding downstream by encouraging greater water retention in the moorland and peat soils through management techniques such as grip blocking and re- vegetating areas to restore a healthy and functioning peat bog (Ecosystem services from Environmental Stewardship that benefit agricultural production, Natural England Commissioned Report NECR102, 2012).

Opportunities – Seek opportunities to restore and enhance blanket bog and heathland habitats, securing sustainable grazing and burning regimes and encouraging programmes of work to restore hydrology and ecology to achieve good vegetative cover of bryophytes and heather, thus increasing water retention capacity and impeding water flow off the moors.

Promote good soil management on farms to improve infiltration of rainwater into agricultural land.

Seek opportunities to restore and expand woodland to improve water interception and storage, and stabilise watercourses, through diversifying conifer plantations and expanding and connecting broadleaved woodland, particularly in the cleughs.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Regulating water flow
• Water availability
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating soil quality
• Regulating soil erosion
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Geology
• Soils
• Semi-natural vegetation
• Land management practices

State – There are 5 main soilscape types in this area: freely draining acid loamy soils over rock (covering 46 per cent of the NCA), very acid loamy upland soils with a wet peaty surface (28 per cent), blanket bog peat soils (19 per cent), slowly permeable seasonally wet acid loamy and clayey soils (3 per cent), and freely draining slightly acid loamy soils (2 per cent).

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – Extensive cover of semi-natural habitats and land management practices play key roles in maintaining soil quality within this NCA. The blanket bog peat soils in particular are at risk of loss of organic matter through drying and erosion and this has been exacerbated by past land management practices including drainage, overgrazing and unsustainable burning.

The peat of the very acid loamy upland soils with a wet peaty surface has low strength when wet and is easily damaged by grazing and stock movements for much of the year and consequently poaching is common.

On steep often very stony lands where the freely draining acid loamy soils over rock often occur, management is difficult because the grazing season is short; there is generally a low risk of poaching but organic topsoils can poach when wet.

Measures should be encouraged that retain water in situ on peaty soils and potentially raise water levels (water storage may also aid flood attenuation), ensure good vegetative cover, and avoid overgrazing/trampling or damage by mechanised activities.

Opportunities – Improve the condition, structure and carbon content of upland soils by securing sustainable grazing and burning management of moorland.

Encourage restoration of peatland habitats through programmes of work to restore the hydrology and ecology of the habitats.

Promote good farming practice, ensuring good vegetative cover, avoiding over-grazing and poaching or damage by mechanised activities.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Regulating soil quality
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Regulating soil erosion
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Soil type – peaty soils and freely draining acid loamy soils over rock
• Semi-natural vegetation

State – 95 per cent of the soils in the NCA are at some risk of erosion.

The freely draining acid loamy soils over rock (46 per cent) are at risk of poaching when wet.

The peat of the very acid loamy upland soils with a wet peaty surface (28 per cent) is easily damaged by grazing and trafficking for much of the year.

The blanket bog peat soils (19 per cent) are at risk of loss of organic matter through climate change and soil erosion.

Main beneficiary – Regional

Analysis – The steep topography and high rainfall of the NCA mean that soil in many areas is at risk of water erosion. Soil erosion has been exacerbated in some areas by gripping, overgrazing and inappropriate moorland burning.

Localised erosion has also been caused by recreational use of popular routes such as the Pennine Way, and along vehicular tracks.

The NCA falls within the Tweed, Aln, Coquet and Coastal Streams Priority Catchment designated under Defra’s Catchment Sensitive Farming initiative. This initiative supports, among other things, land management measures which reduce soil run-off and the impact of livestock on riparian zones.

Opportunities – Secure sustainable grazing and burning management of moorland to reduce erosion of peat soils and secure good grazing and cutting management of in-bye land and meadows to maintain good soil structure, improve infiltration and prevent channelling, run-off and flooding. Good vegetative cover on blanket bog and heather moorland will reduce sediment run-off.

Encourage active restoration of peatland habitats.

Encourage the restoration and expansion of riparian and woodland habitats, particularly managing and expanding woodland along watercourses and restructuring of upland plantations to improve infiltration, stabilise banks, and help reduce peak flows and the erosive force of rivers.

Continue to manage visitor pressure and access routes to minimise soil erosion.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Regulating soil erosion
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Regulating soil quality
• Recreation
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Semi-natural habitats

State – Species-rich heather moorland, grassland and hay meadows all provide important nectar sources and habitats for pollinating insects. However, the importance of this resource for pollination of commercial crops is limited as there is very little crop production in the immediate vicinity.

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – Pollinators play a vital role in producing high yields of many crops but research shows their numbers have declined sharply. Ensuring the presence of nectar and pollen sources throughout the flying season and the habitat structure required for all stages of their life cycles at a landscape scale should help to increase pollinators which will benefit crops such as oilseed rape in adjacent arable areas such as the Cheviot Fringe NCA.

Opportunities – Seek opportunities to increase connectivity for pollinators within the landscape, linking the semi-natural habitats of the uplands in this NCA with the lowlands of the Cheviot Fringe and other adjacent areas where crops such as oilseed rape which require pollination occur. Emphasis should therefore be on fringe areas and valleys, enhancing the network of species-rich hay meadows, grasslands, woodlands, hedgerows, road verges and field margins.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Pollination
• Food provision
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating soil erosion
• Regulating water flow
• Pest regulation
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Semi-natural habitats

State – The extensive species-rich and structurally diverse semi-natural habitats within this NCA will support pest-regulating species but the importance of this resource to commercial crop production is limited by distance.

Main beneficiary – Local

Analysis – Regulation of pest species by natural predators can be encouraged through the provision of appropriate habitats and resources; the greater the diversity and complexity of habitats the more predator and parasitoid species are likely to be supported.

Opportunities – Seek opportunities to link the semi-natural habitats in this NCA with arable farmland through the enhancement of networks of species-rich grassland, woodland, hedges and field margins to encourage movement of natural enemies.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Pest regulation
• Food provision
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating soil erosion
• Regulating water flow
• Pollination
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Volcanic geology forming rounded hills, deep ravines and rocky outcrops
• Remoteness and tranquillity
• Wild open moorland
• Fast-flowing rivers
• Woodland
• Very low population density; isolated farmsteads and villages
• Vernacular buildings using traditional materials and local building styles

State – A sense of place is provided by the distinctive, smooth, wide, rounded hills of the Cheviots which are volcanic in origin. Distinctive glacial and post-glacial features such as steep ravines, rocky outcrops, dramatic scree slopes and the ice-gouged hollows of Bizzle and Hen Hole further reinforce this.

People are drawn to the wild, open moorland plateaux and sheltered, wooded river valleys that form the northern end of the Northumberland National Park.

There is a wealth of heritage assets reflecting a history of occupation from prehistoric times onwards and highlighting the area’s proximity to the English/Scottish border.

The NCA is now almost totally devoid of settlement, although scattered farmsteads and a few small hamlets such as Alwinton can be found nestled in the bottoms of the steep-sided valleys. Distinctive local architecture is evident in these dispersed settlements: buildings are constructed from sandstone in varying shades of yellow, pink and grey (either rubble or dressed) with grey Welsh roof slates or orange clay pantiles which are more common in the northern valleys. Dark igneous andesite and granite are characteristic of the medieval fortified buildings and churches.

Main beneficiary – National

Analysis – This NCA has a strong and distinct landscape character. Protecting and enhancing sense of place has the potential to increase recreational use, to benefit biodiversity and geodiversity and increase awareness of the sense of history.

The long tradition of upland farming has shaped the landscape and maintaining its viability in the future will be critical to securing sustainable and sympathetic land management.

While there has been relatively little recent change in the area and development pressures remain low, the landscape character could be weakened by numerous small changes. There will be challenges in allowing the area to evolve, responding to changing pressures such as demand for renewable energy and increased tourism while protecting the landscape character and strengthening the sense of place.

Opportunities – Protect and enhance key habitats including moorland mosaics, pastures, hay meadows and broadleaved woodlands.

Maintain and conserve the wealth of heritage assets, seeking opportunities to connect local people and visitors with the history of the area.

Restore traditional buildings and drystone walls using local building materials and styles where possible. Ensure new and re-developments respect the historic settlement patterns, using materials in keeping with the vernacular architecture.

Seek ways to support viable and environmentally sensitive upland farming.

Explore opportunities for sustainable tourism initiatives that will increase the environmental awareness of visitors to the Northumberland National Park and improve profitability of local businesses while protecting the special qualities of the area.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Sense of place/inspiration
• Sense of history
• Tranquillity
• Recreation
• Biodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Historic tracks and routes
• Neolithic and bronze-age burial cairns, bronze-age settlements and field systems and iron-age hill forts
• Medieval settlements and field systems
• Bastles and towers as reminders of border conflict

State – A sense of history is evident in the patterns of drove ways and tracks crossing the border which were pivotal in the development of the Cheviot settlements. These tracks now form part of the public rights of way network used by visitors to the Northumberland National Park. The upper slopes have large regular fields defined by drystone walls or dykes dating from Parliamentary enclosures, with smaller in-bye fields in the valley bottom.

Also evident are the extensive tracts of well-preserved, highly-visible prehistoric landscapes. These include the remains of burial cairns from the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, and iron-age hill forts, the best known of which is Brough Law overlooking the Breamish valley. Bastles and towers remain from the three centuries of border warfare before the Union of the Crowns in 1603 led to more settled times. The remains from the medieval period are similarly impressive including deserted villages, extensive field systems, shielings and enclosures.

There are 243 Scheduled Monuments.

Main beneficiary – National

Analysis – The long history of occupation coupled with the lack of recent cultivation and development means the Cheviots contain outstanding multi-period prehistoric landscapes such as Yeavering Bell and Humbleton Hill which greatly contribute to our understanding of man’s early relationships with the land. The Cheviots represents one of the most important sites in Britain for bronze- age remains (A Landscape Character Assessment of Tynedale District and Northumberland National Park, Final Report to Tynedale District Council and Northumberland National Park Authority, 2007); the Breamish valley has an exceptional concentration of archaeological remains that illustrate a high level of prehistoric activity and recent work suggests these represent only a fraction of what is actually there.

Historic features are at risk from a number of activities including damage and erosion from inappropriate farming, development and land-use activities, encroachment by vegetation (particularly bracken and scrub), erosion by animal grazing and burrowing, erosion along public access routes, dereliction and neglect, and deliberate damage and theft. A significant number of the Scheduled Monuments are At Risk.

The Cheviots offer excellent opportunities to preserve the evidence of and learn more about the layers of human influence on the landscape, strengthening landscape character and sense of history and place.

Increasing access to and interpretation of these sites provides opportunities to engage local people and visitors in the history of the area with benefits for recreation and tourism.

Opportunities – Protect and interpret historic landscapes which often contain evidence of multi-period occupation, retaining evidence of features and thus enabling improved understanding of past activities.

Encourage land management practices such as clearance of bracken and scrub around archaeological features to protect them from further damage.

Ensure that key historic and archaeological features are protected and maintained; conservation of historic sites and structures, which act as local focal points and reinforce local distinctiveness in each of the valleys, is important.

Encourage further survey work to record the diversity and distribution of buried archaeology, earthworks and structures and encourage interpretation and dissemination of information to land managers and visitors alike.

Provide clear and imaginative interpretation of sites and landscapes to improve the understanding and enjoyment of the public.

Encourage the restoration of Scheduled Monuments, traditional buildings and drystone walls using local building materials and styles where possible. Ensure new and re-developments respect the historic settlement patterns and reflect the local farmstead vernacular in terms of building materials, scale and location.

Take measures to ameliorate the visual impact, or remove structures all together, where inappropriate development has occurred in the past.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Sense of history
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Tranquillity
• Recreation
• Geodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Wild open moorlands
• Sheltered wooded valleys
• Few settlements or roads
• Dark night skies

State – The entire NCA is now classified as ‘undisturbed’ according to CPRE data (an increase from 94 per cent since the 1960s) making this NCA, along with the adjacent Border Moors and Forests NCA, the most tranquil in England.

Main beneficiary – National

Analysis – The wild, open moorlands, tranquil sheltered valleys, sparse settlement and restriction of vehicular access to the valley floors contribute to a sense of remoteness and tranquillity. The sense that this area is ‘undisturbed’ is, however, a perception; in practice grouse shooting and management, timber extraction, and military training intrude on even the remotest places. But the sense of remoteness, wilderness and tranquillity is highly valued by residents and visitors alike.

Opportunities exist to promote the calming and restorative effect that contact with tranquil and sensory environments have on visitors’ health and wellbeing.

The lack of settlement also means the night skies are still dark; the Northumberland National Park Authority has applied for International Dark Skies Park status to include this NCA.

Opportunities – Protect the sense of remoteness and tranquillity by avoiding the introduction of built structures and other inappropriate developments on the moorland, and controlling intrusion from the Otterburn military training area.

Minimise the impacts of light pollution from development in this and adjacent NCAs.

Sensitively manage visitor access and recreational facilities to avoid loss of tranquillity.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Tranquillity
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Recreation

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Open access land
• Public rights of way
• National and long distance trails
• Historic drovers routes and tracks
• Tranquillity
• Wild open moorlands and sheltered wooded valleys
• A wealth of heritage assets
• Grouse moors

State – The NCA offers a network of rights of way totalling 379 km at a density of just over 1 km per km2 as well as a very significant area of open access land, covering over 26,000 ha or 72 per cent of the NCA.

In addition, just less than 23 km of the Pennine Way National Trail crosses the western perimeter of this NCA and over 14 km of the St Cuthbert’s long distance walking route from Melrose to Lindisfarne cuts across the northern end to join the Pennine Way.

Main beneficiary – National

Analysis – Recreation is a key service provided by this NCA: the Cheviots provide a wealth of recreational activities that are dependent upon the special qualities of the environment, including walking, cycling, horse riding, rock climbing, fell-running, birdwatching, star gazing, angling and grouse shooting.

Recreational opportunities are supported by the fact that nearly the entire NCA area (99 per cent) forms part of the Northumberland National Park. The National Park has recently had an increase in walkers and rock climbers which has led to some problems of localised erosion especially on the peaty soils along routes such as the Pennine Way.

An extensive programme of footpath/route maintenance employing techniques such as stone-flagging is tackling this.

Recreational use should continue to be encouraged but any increase in levels of use will need to be managed to avoid adverse impacts on the natural assets of the area including tranquillity and biodiversity.

Opportunities – Enhance the network of footpaths and bridleways, creating more links to the Pennine Way, St Cuthbert’s Way and open access land where appropriate.

Maintain and extend recreational facilities where appropriate but plan for and manage visitor numbers to ensure the tranquillity, sense of remoteness and place, dark night skies and biodiversity of the area are preserved.

Continue to manage and reduce the impacts of recreation on the sensitive peatland habitats through a programme of works to reduce footpath erosion.

Provide imaginative interpretation of the landscape and its many features (geological, historical, species and habitats).

Ensure that tourism development is sustainable, sensitively utilises the landscape resource and brings socioeconomic benefits to local communities.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Recreation
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Sense of history
• Tranquillity
• Biodiversity
• Geodiversity

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Sites designated for nature conservation
• Semi-natural habitats including blanket bog, heathland and woodlands
• Streams and rivers

State – There is a significant extent of BAP priority habitats within the NCA (over 33 per cent of the area) in the form of over 6,700 ha of upland heath and over 5,500 ha of blanket bog, plus small areas of upland calcareous grassland and species rich hay meadows.

The NCA contains 3 SAC and 3,917 ha (11 per cent of the NCA area) are nationally designated as SSSI. These include moorlands, woodlands, hay meadows and rivers.

Main beneficiary – National

Analysis – The NCA has a very high nature conservation value and is one of the large upland blocks of the Border Uplands. Important habitats include upland heathland, blanket bog, acid grassland, flushes, calcareous grassland, rush pastures, traditional hay meadows, native woodland and streams and rivers.

The upland habitats support good invertebrate assemblages and a typical community of upland birds such as ring ouzel, peregrine, merlin, buzzards and moorland waders such as dunlin and curlew. Black grouse still occur here but despite positive habitat management for this species numbers are still declining.

Enhancing the moorland mosaic, particularly managing and restoring the peatland habitats, and expanding and connecting the very fragmented woodland and meadow networks should improve biodiversity provision.

The headwaters of the River Till/Tweed (SAC) and River Coquet (SSSI) radiate out of the Cheviots as fast-flowing rivers. These support key species such as Atlantic salmon, brook and river lamprey, otter, water crowfoot, river jelly lichen, freshwater pearl mussel and the diatom Didymosphenia. The quality of the waters is generally good but there are issues with diffuse pollution from agriculture.

Maintaining and improving the water quality is critical to maintaining the condition of the designated sites and also to the continuing success of the rivers as game fisheries for which they have international reputations. Monitoring and controlling invasive species such as Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and signal crayfish is also very important.

Relicts of alder, ash, hazel, oak and juniper woodland, much of it designated as SSSI, occur in the shelter of the steep-sided river valleys but overgrazing has prevented regeneration. A small number of upland hay meadows such as Barrow Burn Meadows (SSSI and SAC) still persist in the valley bottoms.

Rare Arctic-Alpine flora persists on the rocky ledges of the northern face of the Cheviots but these communities have been suppressed by sheep-grazing.

Red squirrels are found throughout the area and Kidland and Uswayford forests are designated as reserves.

With the high proportion of open access land and rights of way all these habitats and species can be seen and enjoyed by the public.

Improving the ecological condition of habitats is likely to benefit a range of eco-systems services. Restoring peatlands through restoration of the hydrological regime and securing sustainable grazing and burning management should contribute to services such as the regulation of climate, water quality and flow and soil erosion, while contributing to sense of place/inspiration and recreation.

Managing and expanding fragmented woodland and hay meadow sites will improve connectivity, making these ecological networks more coherent and resilient to climate change, while strengthening landscape character. Woodland restoration and management may have additional benefits such as stabilising river banks, reducing soil erosion and providing local sources of wood fuel.

Opportunities – Protect, restore and extend priority habitats and designated sites and ensure appropriate management of adjacent land to increase the area considered to be in good ecological condition.

Create and restore priority habitats including blanket bog and heather moorland by securing sustainable grazing and heather burning regimes which ensure good vegetative cover, and where necessary employing techniques such as grip-blocking.

Protect, manage and expand species-rich grasslands and hay meadows, and woodlands, seeking opportunities to link or provide stepping stones between existing habitats to allow species to move more freely through the landscape.

Promote rush management on lower slopes through cutting and/or cattle grazing to benefit upland breeding waders.

Manage stocking levels to protect the rare arctic-alpine flora found on the northern face of the Cheviots.

Promote land management practices to maintain and restore good water quality in the watercourses, for example by establishing riparian scrub and woodland, and monitor and control invasive species, and ensure that activities like angling do not impact negatively on the bank-side habitats.

Within forest management plans seek opportunities to restore open heathland habitats where appropriate, with compensation planting carried out elsewhere, but considering the implications for red squirrels; clear-felling of large conifer blocks and planting of large-seeded deciduous species should be avoided in refuges and areas buffering red squirrel populations.

Encourage access to and interpretation of the natural interest features, enhancing the public’s enjoyment and understanding of the area while continuing to manage and reduce the impacts of tourism, particularly on the sensitive peatland habitats through a programme of works to reduce footpath erosion.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Biodiversity
• Biomass energy
• Climate regulation
• Regulating water quality
• Regulating water flow
• Regulating soil quality
• Regulating soil erosion
• Pollination
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Tranquillity
• Recreation

Assets/attributes: main contributors to service –

• Distinctive volcanic geology
• Glacial and post-glacial features
• 2 geological SSSI and 1 SSSI with both biodiversity and geodiversity interest

State – The distinctive igneous geology of the Cheviots gives rise to the characteristic topography and sense of place of the NCA.

The igneous rocks are at, or very close to, the surface throughout the Cheviots, but the physical landscape shows dramatic variation as a result of the response of the rocks to different glacial processes; smooth, convex slopes in the east, concave slopes and ‘V-shaped’ valleys in the west and tors of granite and metamorphosed volcanic rocks on the hill tops.

The Cheviots display many typical glacial and post-glacial features, some of which are recognised as being nationally important examples and designated as such: glacial scouring created the curious hollows of Bizzle and Hen Hole, glacial meltwater cut the channels below Yeavering Bell and the modern, characteristic drainage pattern of rivers radiating out from the Cheviots to the Cheviot Fringe is deeply incised into the underlying lavas creating step-sided gorges. Humbleton Hill and the Trows SSSI provide some of the best examples of sub-glacial meltwater channels in northern England.

Use of locally quarried stone in the construction of buildings has influenced the local vernacular architecture and contributed to sense of place.

There are 2 geological SSSI and 1 of mixed interest.

Main beneficiary – National

Analysis – The distinctive, rounded hills of the Cheviots form one of the most impressive landscapes in the area and the geology and geomorphology is responsible for the extensive and diverse mosaic of semi-natural habitats that characterise this NCA and provide a sense of place.

The distinctive geology and abundant glacial and post-glacial features mean the Cheviot massif provides important opportunities for research to enhance understanding on a national scale into the important phase of igneous activity in the evolution of the British Isles and processes such as ice-sheet evolution, diversion and dynamics of ice streams and cold-based ice preservation of summit forms such as tors.

A small intrusion of Devonian age has been worked at Harden Quarry, near Biddlestone, for crushed rock and roadstone. The brick-red colour of the rock makes it sought after for surfacing the hard shoulders on Britain’s motorways and for lining The Mall in London. It is likely that demand for this roadstone and crushed rock will continue for the foreseeable future.

The natural exposures of igneous rocks within the district are generally robust and none appears to be under threat. Although quarries destroy the materials being worked, they provide excellent representative sections of the geology and the continually changing nature of the sections can yield invaluable insights into the rocks exposed. Disused quarries can also provide important habitats for wildlife.

Improving access to and interpretation of geological sites and features, including designated sites and quarries, would enhance the public’s enjoyment and understanding of the area; a number of sites have already been identified that have the potential to tell a story relating to the geological heritage of the area and there are proposals to interpret the geological and landscape features of the Pennine Way (Northumberland National Park Geodiversity Audit and Action Plan, Commissioned Report, 2007).

Opportunities – Encourage and develop opportunities for earth science research to widen our understanding of certain geomorphological and glacial processes and the geodiversity of the area.

Exploit opportunities presented by quarries to accurately record geological sections, and collect and curate representative specimens to further knowledge and understanding of the local geology.

Encourage and support the designation of local geological sites.

Improve access to and interpretation of geological sites and features, including designated sites and quarries, and explore the possibility of geo-trails, to enhance the public’s understanding and enjoyment of the area.

Maintain vernacular buildings and drystone walls using local stone wherever possible to reinforce links with the underlying geology and strengthen sense of place.

Principal services offered by opportunities –

• Geodiversity
• Sense of place/inspiration
• Sense of history
• Recreation
• Biodiversity