Millfield, Ford, Crookham, Branxton, Mindrum

 

Maelmin Henge is just outside Millfield. It's a reconstruction of the nearby Milfield North Henge: one of several henge monuments in the Till Valley that date from the Later Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.

Today's ride started in Millfield, then passed through a series of small settlements: Ford, Crookham, Branxton and Mindrum.

Apart from Maelmin Henge I took in the site of the Battle of Flodden, which was fought outside Branxton in 1513. The Church of St Michael and All Angels at Ford dates from the 13th Century, and was heavily restored by John Dobson in 1853. There has been a mill at Heatherslaw since 1291. The current one was restored and re-opened in 1975, but was closed today.  For more local history I could have made a brief diversion via the 14th Century Etal Castle. But enough is enough.

Part of my route followed NCN68 - the Pennine Cycle Way. The two sections on the A697 were both very brief and traffic wasn't a problem. The rest of the ride was on quiet country lanes. 

Once again I chose a route that is more hilly than I'm used to. On my personal scale of difficulty I couldn't rate this as an "Easy" ride. Others describe it as "Moderate", but I'd have to rate it as more difficult than that. "Challenging"  would be putting it too strongly. I'd like to rate it as "Satisfying", but for now, I think I'll settle on "Demanding".