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Carter Bar

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Carter Bar is situated 58 miles south of Edinburgh, 10 miles south of Jedburgh, 46 miles northwest of Newcastle.

This is the most scenic route to travel between Scotland and England, with Carter Bar on the border at 418 metres / 1,371 ft in height, a great place to stop for Photos, Views, and a Snack.

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Camping & Touring Parks in area

The A696 Road runs up from Newcastle and joins the A68 just south of Carter Bar.

The A68 road runs up from the scenic town of Corbridge on Hadrians Wall, 36 miles between Carter Bar and Corbridge. This road is amazing with great views, but dangerous as there are a lot of hidden dips.

Jedburgh is the first Town, or last in Scotland, depending on which way you are traveling. Jedburgh is popular for its large Abbey, Castle Jail Museum, and Mary Queen of Scots House Museum.

Up to the 400s, when the Romans ruled England, the Border between Scotland and England was Hadrian's Wall that ran straight across from Carlisle in the west to Newcastle in the east.

The England - Scotland Border, roughly what is seen today, was established in 1237 at the Treaty of York. This Border runs from just north of Carlisle in the west, in a northeast direction, through Carter Bar 36 miles north of Hadrians Wall, then on to just north of Berwick Upon Tweed, 63 miles north of Newcastle.

The vast area of Northumberland, fought over for centuries, was then officially part of England.

Raids over the Border, in both directions, for livestock and valuables, continued from 1237 until King James VI of Scotland became King of England as well in 1603. With the two countries then under the same ruler, King James put an end to the pillaging and murdering along the Border, with executions and taking land off many Families or Clans.

These small raiding forces were known as Border Reivers. They not only crossed the border to raid and kill, but often carried out raids and killings on their own side, sometimes with their own family, such as the Kerr's of Ferniehirst and the Kerr's of Cessford who fought each other for decades.

Most families along the border lived in fortified houses, known as Tower Houses on the Scots side, or Bastille Houses on the English side.

Larger military conflicts between the two countries continued as well, with the Percy family, Dukes of Northumberland, of the mighty castles at Warkworth and Alnwick, used by the Royals of England to control the English side of the border, with Henry Percy (Hotspur) being the most famous in the late 1300s.

The main rivals of the Percy family were the mighty Douglas Clan from southern Scotland, with their main castles being Hermitage 9 miles north of the border, and Tantallon 33 miles east of Edinburgh.

With Carter Bar being on the boundary line, it was one of a number of places where Taxes were collected from people and goods crossing the Border.

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