Dere Street Show path on map
Start location: A68 at Forest Lodge ( NT 607 287 )
End location: Chew Green, just over the border ( NT 787 087 )
Geographical area: Lothian and Borders
Path type: Medieval Road, Pilgrimage Route, Roman Road
Path distance: 30km
Accessibility info: Suitable for pedestrians
Route Description
Starting at Forest Lodge (NT607287), Dere Street is followed by the waymarked St Cuthbert’s Way (SCW) southeast past Lilliard’s Edge and over Ancrum Moor. Upon reaching the Marble Burn (NT643253), Dere Street’s line becomes speculative, so the easiest wayfinding option is to continue to follow the SCW downstream, which crosses the B6400, thence circles round Monteviot House clockwise to reach the suspension bridge over the River Teviot. From here, follow the SCW east along the Teviot, then south along the Jed Water to where it is crossed by the A698’s Jedfoot Bridge, 3km north of Jedburgh.
From Jedfoot Bridge, the SCW is signposted onwards, first for a short distance south along a minor public road on the east side of the Jed Water, but soon picks up a track heading southeast. Although the SCW diverges from this track northeast at NT670232, the Roman Road runs straight for 8km by Cappuck (Roman fort) to pass on the south side of Shibden Hill. It thence continues east towards Whitton Edge, turns generally southeast and south to Pennymuir (Roman camps), over the Kale Water at Tow Ford, and southeast by Blackhall Hill, first crossing the Scotland/England border at Black Halls. From there, Dere Street continues south, crossing the border twice more in 2km to reach the extensive Roman camps at Chew Green.
From Chew Green southwards the road lies within an MOD artillery range; for that reason an enquiry about live firing dates and times is advisable. If indeed continuing further into England, head southeast by Outer Golden Pot to Featherwood, and then down a straight 5km south to Bremenium (camps) and Rochester on the A68, which itself largely heads south along the continuing line of Dere Street. Alternatively, if remaining in Scotland, Dere Street can be reached at Tow Ford by road from Hownam.
Where it runs south over the Cheviots, Dere Street is mostly a broad grassy track, so it is a splendid route for walkers.
Another section of Dere Street lies further north, near Soutra Aisle.
OS Landranger 74 (Kelso & Coldstream) & 80 (Cheviot Hills & Kielder Water)
Heritage Information
Dere Street was the main Roman road into Scotland; in use on and off by the Romans between AD78 and AD211, it ran from York to the Forth and has been traced to Dalkeith. It is likely that the Romans followed existing pathways, at least to some extent, when building their roads; settlement patterns of Britons previous to the Roman occupation reveal a number of forts and settlements in the area. Dere Street crosses both the Teviot and the Tweed which would have been relatively easily to ford in the summer months, but may have required the use of ferries or indeed bridges, although no above-ground trace of bridges exist today. The major Roman fort on Dere Street was Trimontium, near present day Newstead, and there is evidence suggesting a crossroad with another Roman road running west to east at Trimontium.
Long after the Romans left Britain, Dere Street remained a north-south military route. It is said to have been used by the 6th century warriors of the Gododdin and the armies of Edward I in the Wars of Independence.
Being such an old road, it has had different names and different uses over time. In the Middle Ages, where it crossed the Cheviots, this road was known as Gamelspeth - Gamel is thought to be Norse or Old English meaning 'old'. The medieval village that developed at Chew Green was known as Kemylpethe or Kemblepath; this location on the border is said to have become one of the places along the disputed boundary were disputes were settled. Additionally, the section of Dere Street between Jedburgh and Edinburgh was known as the Via Regia or the Royal Way. Throughout the Middle Ages, Dere Street remained an important byway connecting greater Scotland with the important abbeys of the Borders region. As a result, Dere Street was a regular pilgrimage route, but following the Protestant Reformation of 1560, it fell into disrepair, and its general line is thought to have served primarily as a drove road. Chew Green farm, to the northeast of the Roman camps, is said to have acted as an informal inn for drovers and wayfarers.
Alistair Moffat's book The Hidden Ways explores this old Roman Road, along with other historic routes such as the Herring Road and Crachoctrestrete.
