On a walk to Linhope Spout a few years back I remember seeing a huge crag jutting out of the side of a hill in the distance. I wasn't as versed in the Cheviots back then, so wasn't sure what it was. I thought it didn't look too far, but at the time I was just wearing shorts and trainers so decided against it.
I now know that it's the Great Standrop sitting on the banks of Hedgehope Hill and it has a pal next to it called the Little Standrop.
Now the peculiar thing about them is that the Little Standrop sits at 543m with the Great Standrop 8m lower at 535m. Obviously the Great Standrop is a lot more taller and prominent, but the Little Standrop sits higher up the banks of Hedgehope Hill.
Great Standrop
The Great Standrop is described as two connected grassy and rocky mounds that rise from the surrounding heather moor. Some have likened its shape to two hills emerging from the landscape, although the child in me thinks it looks like a pair of boobs!
I had a couple of goes at visiting the Great Standrop, but was always thwarted by the weather. On one occasion I had just scaled Hedgehope Hill on a pretty clear day when a huge rain cloud descended and then prompted to chuck it down with only 50m visibility.
The last time I visited I managed to get some aerial photography.
If you squint you can just see me on the top.
The distinctive ring of harder rock surrounding Hedgehope Hill and Cheviot is like a protective halo, geologists call it a 'metamorphic aureole.' This tougher ring withstood the natural elements far better than the softer surrounding rock, which crumbled away over time. This resulted in rocky outcrops called 'tors' and were further sculpted by ice.
Little Standrop
The Little Standrop is around 350m away from the Great Standrop and as mentioned it is actually higher, but only due to it sitting a bit higher up the slope of Hedgehope Hill. So you will arrive at this tor first if you are descending the hill. Although not as prominent, it is still a chunky crag in it's own right.
A look back towards Hedgehope Hill with the Little Standrop.
Although they both sit on the banks of Hedgehope Hill, it's a 1.5km (all downhill though) walk to reach the Little Standrop from the trig point. The first half is wading through heather, but you will see a clear path to the crags as you approach them.
If you don't fancy scaling Hedgehope, then you can walk direct to them from Linhope.
Park at Hartside and then head past Linhope Spout until you get to a little fingerpost just before a bridge pointing the way to Hedgehope. But ignore this and head over the little bridge, then immediaterly leave the track and follow a north west direction and soon you will spy the peak of the Great Standrop.
It's around 5km with 348m of climbing. Follow this route on OS Maps.
