Archaeology
The Otterburn Ranges have one of the greatest concentrations of archaeological and historic remains in the north of England.
These date from the Prehistoric, Roman, Medieval and later periods and include burial cairns, Roman roads and marching camps, bastles, farmsteads, lime-kilns, and military remains.
The Roman Road of Dere Street, with the marching camps that lie alongside it, crosses the Ranges. The camps at Chew Green and Birdhope are the easiest Roman remains to visit.
You can walk along Dere Street and into Scotland from the camps at Chew Green. A Roman signal station stood at Brownhart Law and if the weather is clear you can see the three hills above Melrose which gave the Roman legionary fort of Trimontium there its name.
The bronze age cairns on the summit of Thirl Moor are a visible landmark though cannot be visited as they are in the Danger Area but the 17th century bastles to the east of the Ranges can be viewed when there is no firing.
It is important for reasons of safety as well as to respect the historic environment that metal detectors are not used on the Ranges.
Further information on the archaeology of the area can be found here.
