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Cheviot Hills Analysis

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The Cheviot Hills represent a significant part of the land within Northumberland National Park, typically identified by its iconic rolling landscape, and tranquil wilderness. The land here has been used in a variety of ways throughout history, and is still used in a variety of ways today. The Cheviots has a small population of 1,709 (from 2001 census data) with no main towns/cities (Natural England, 2013), with much of the land being protected and managed by Northumberland National Park. In this essay I will examine the uses of land in the area as well as how the land has been used in the past.

The Cheviot Hills have been occupied by civilisation for thousands of years, dating as far back as to Neolithic times. Evidence for land use during …show more content…

The 19th century signalled the start of shooting as a sport in the Cheviots with grouse shooting becoming more popular and included the burning of heather moorland and the creation of grouse butts and shooting huts (Natural England, 2013). This illustrates the use of land for sporting purposes as well as agricultural ones.
The Natural England National Character Area Profile of the Cheviots (2013) states: The 20th-century estate-managed planting of significant conifer blocks and geometric shelterbelts had a dramatic impact on the landscape but this is now being reduced by more sympathetic rotation plans and the large-scale restructuring and removal of forest blocks, including those at Wooler Common and Threestoneburn which are being replaced by moorland and native broadleaved woodland as land management priorities shift towards sporting interests and biodiversity enhancement. There has also been some broadleaved woodland expansion, most notably at Blindburn on the Otterburn military training area and in the Breamish …show more content…

As a result, historical land use in the Cheviot Hills was mainly agricultural, with small parishes and hamlets as evidenced by the remains found in areas such as Alnham and ridge and furrow field systems throughout the hills. Evidence of military land use in the area prior to the 20th century appears to be small with the exception of Chew Green during Roman times, with most settlements having fortified shielings and bastles to protect residents from Reivers during the border warfare of the 14th to 16th centuries (Natural England,

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