Understand
[edit]- I've heard the lilting, at the yowe-milking, Lassies a-lilting before dawn o' day;
- But now they are moaning on ilka green loaning; "The Flowers of the Forest are a' wede away".
- - Ballad composed 1756, often played as a solo bagpipe lament
Ford and Etal are two small castles on a lowland route between England and Scotland. In the 15th century there was armed banditry ("reiving") in the borderlands but no great battles, as England was preoccupied by the Wars of the Roses. Scotland sheltered the deposed Lancastrian King Henry VI but gave him no military assistance. But then in 1502 the two nations signed the "Treaty of Perpetual Peace", so inevitably tensions grew and erupted into warfare, as both were embroiled in European conflicts. Scotland held to its "Auld Alliance" with France, while England supported Italy and the Pope. In 1513 the Scots marched south led by King James IV, laid waste to Northumberland villages, and captured Ford and Etal. This had the desired effect of drawing the English north, diverting them from the continental campaign.
Battle was joined on Friday 9 Sept. The Scots had 34,000 men on Branxton Hill, the English had 26,000 on the lower Piper Hill, with boggy ground between. When the English initially gave way, the Scots rushed forward with their noble leaders in front. This meant that when they got bogged down, their leadership including their king were cut down, so command and discipline were lost. The Scots were soon a fleeing rabble: they lost some 5000-14,000 men and the entire "Flowers of the Forest", the best of their generation.
James IV was the last British monarch to die in battle, and the conduct of warfare was changing as rapidly in that era as the conduct of peacetime affairs. The Battle of Flodden ended the Middle Ages in lowland Scotland as effectively as the Battle of Bosworth Field had ended them in England in 1485. The old feudal ways continued in the Highlands, until they too perished at Culloden in 1746.
Get in
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By road from the south, leave A1 at Morpeth and follow A697 through Wooler. (You could also stay on A1 to Fenwick then take B6353.) From Edinburgh take A68 then A697 through Coldstream.
Borders Bus 267 runs six times M-Sa from Berwick-upon-Tweed via Tweedmouth and Duddo, taking 30 min, and continues to Wooler, another 25 min. (Don't take Bus 464, which goes to Wooler via Lowick.) Berwick has trains from London Kings Cross, Plymouth, Birmingham, Newcastle and Edinburgh, and buses from Newcastle, Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders towns.
Get around
[edit]The sights are within cycling distance.
No local taxi, it would have to come out from Berwick.
See
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- 1 Ford Castle, Ford TD15 2PX. This was built in 1278 but the present building is a Tudorbethan mansion of 1694. You can peak in through the castle gates but since 1956 it's been a residential centre for young people's outdoor activities, no tours.
- Lady Waterford Hall 200 yards east of Ford Castle was built as a school in 1860, and is now the village hall. It's decorated within by murals on Biblical themes painted by Lady Louisa Waterford herself. It's open daily 11AM-4:30PM, donation.
- Hay Farm Heavy Horse is a show farm midway between Ford and Etal, open Tu-F 10AM-4PM, Sa Su 10AM-5PM. Some visitors found it a bit run-down and sad.
- 2 Etal Castle, Etal TD12 4TN, ☏ +44 0370 333 1181. Apr-Oct daily 10AM-5PM. Tower house built in 1341, and briefly occupied by the Scots in 1513 before the Battle of Flodden. It lost its military value after 1603 but remained a tumbledown dwelling until the 18th century, then fell derelict. Free.
- 3 Heatherslaw Corn Mill, Heatherslaw TD12 4TJ, ☏ +44 1890 820488. Apr-Oct daily 10AM-5PM. A 19th century water mill restored to working order. The cafe sells produce made from its wholewheat flour. Adult £5, conc £4, child £2.
- 4 Flodden Battlefield of 9 Sep 1513 is marked by a stone cross. In Branxton village, the "visitor centre" is an old BT phone box with a display about the battle. Use the free parking lot just west of the village and walk up the narrow lane to the memorial. The Scots initially stood on Flodden Hill but moved onto Branxton Hill when they saw the English manoeuvring around them. This meant they lost the advantage of their heavy artillery, which takes time to bed into position then get sighted on its target.
- 5 Duddo Five Stones are Bronze Age, 4000 years old, as their weathered sandstone attests. Originally there were seven. Follow the footpath from near Duddo village on B6354.
- 6 Twizell Castle was a tower house. From 1770 the owners tried to convert it into a mansion, which laid waste to their fortune and to the structure in equal measure, and 40 years' work was in vain. In 1882 a mansion was built nearby, recycling masonry from Twizell, and the remnants were left to be a picturesque ruin. That mansion for a time was Tillmouth Park Hotel, but that's closed.
- 7 Norham Castle : see Berwick-upon-Tweed for this 12th century border castle.
- 8 Routin Linn Waterfall is reached by a steep muddy descent from the car park on the lane just south. At least you hope it's muddy, because in dry weather there's not much of a waterfall. Rocks nearby show prehistoric "cup-and-ring" etchings.
- Gefrin: see Wooler for this Anglo-Saxon summer palace south near Yeavering village.
Do
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- Heatherslaw Light Railway runs for 3 miles from Heatherslaw (by the corn mill) to Etal Castle. It's narrow gauge (15 in / 381 mm), a "toy" railway built in 1989, there was no historic railway here. It's open April-Sep daily, with two morning and three afternoon runs: "Bunty" is the steam engine and "Clive" the diesel.
Buy
[edit]- Ford, Etal and Cornhill have little village shops. Limited hours and range.
- For a big shop head to the supermarkets in Berwick, open daily. Refuel there also.
Eat
[edit]- The Black Bull, Etal TD12 4TL (200 yards east of Etal Castle), ☏ +44 1890 560402. Daily 11:30AM-11PM. Mixed reviews for this thatched pub with beer garden.
- Lavender Tearooms are part of Etal Post Office, opposite The Black Bull. They're open M-F 9AM-4PM, Sa Su 10AM-4PM.
- The Old Dairy, Ford TD15 2PX (by Ford Castle). W-Su 10AM-4PM. This is an antiques shop but with a good cafe.
Drink
[edit]- Old Chapel Cidery is next to Etal Castle, open daily 10AM-4PM.
- 1 Cheviot Brewery, Slainsfield TD12 4TP, ☏ +44 191 389 7102. Microbrewery with taproom open F Sa noon-10PM, serving pizzas 5-8PM Su and for drinks only noon-5PM. They brew cask ales and tours can be booked on F and Sa at 11AM. In summer there's a glamping site with pods and bell tents.
Sleep
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- 1 Hay Farm House, Ford TD12 4TR, ☏ +44 1890 820647. Relaxing 3-room guesthouse near Ford castle. B&B double £100.
- 2 Red Lion Inn, Milfield NE71 6JD, ☏ +44 1668 216224. Grand trad pub with rooms. B&B double £120.
- Pantile Lodge (Cafe Maelmin), Milfield NE71 6JD (50 yards south of Red Lion), ☏ +44 1668 216323. B&B with spacious comfy rooms. B&B double £110.
- 3 Collingwood Arms Hotel, Main Street, Cornhill on Tweed TD12 4UH (7 miles west of Ford & Etal), ☏ +44 1890 882424. Smart hotel with good dining, dog-friendly. B&B double £155.
- Coldstream just over the border has Newcastle Arms Hotel and Coldstream Holiday Park.
- 4 The Gables, Duddo TD15 2NR, ☏ +44 7854 134296. Charming 2-room B&B in a Victorian vicarage, and furnished in that style. Open all year. B&B double £130.
- Lowick five miles east on B6353 has Black Bull Inn and The White Swan.
Connect
[edit]As of June 2025 Ford, Etal and their approach roads have a basic mobile signal from Three, and 4G from EE, O2 and Vodafone. 5G has reached Berwick and the A1 but doesn't extend this far inland.
Go next
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- Wooler 10 miles south is near sumptuous Chillingham Castle.
- Berwick-upon-Tweed 10 miles northeast has stout town walls in case the Scots try to recapture it.
- Lindisfarne or Holy Island is reached by a tidal causeway.
- Coldstream 9 miles west is where you cross into the Scottish Borders, with grand ruined abbeys at Kelso, Melrose and Jedburgh, and Sir Walter Scott's mansion at Abbotsford.
- Edinburgh the must-see Scottish capital is only 45 miles beyond the border.
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