Norham is a small but historically significant village on a fordable stretch of the River Tweed which separates England from Scotland.

It is famous for its castle which was founded in 1121 by Ranulf Flambard, the Bishop of Durham. The castle fell into Scottish hands four times between 1136 and 1513.

There were a further five unsuccessful attempts, including by Robert the Bruce in 1318 and by King James IV of Scotland in 1497 who brought the giant cannon, Mons Meg, from Edinburgh to bombard its walls.

Norham’s turbulent history earned it the title of ‘the most dangerous place in England’. Thankfully those days are gone and Norham has been mostly safe and tranquil for the past 500 years or so.

Artist J M W Turner must have been attracted to Norham. He visited on three occasions and he drew and painted more than 15 versions of Norham Castle in various media.

Another famous illustrator, Beatrix Potter, was less impressed by Norham, describing it as a ‘dirty little town’ and ‘every tenth house is a Public’.

The village only has two pubs now but that is quite a lot for a place of this size. It also has a shop and a school, however the railway station closed down in 1965.

Norham’s somewhat squat St Cuthbert’s Church has a long history.

St Aidan reputedly crossed the Tweed here in 635 on his way from Iona to Lindisfarne where he established a religious community.

When the Vikings raided Northumbria in the late 9th century the body of St Cuthbert was moved from Lindisfarne for safe keeping, resting in Norham for some years before completing its journey to Durham.

The church has since been remodelled and extended numerous times over the centuries.

There is a public footpath from the church graveyard down to the river, where you can stroll alongside this scenic stretch of the Tweed which is popular with anglers.

Salmon netting used to be an important part of the village economy but now the shields stand empty.

Until 1987, the local vicar would hold a Blessing of the Nets event each year at midnight on Feb 13, to signal the opening of the salmon fishing season on the Tweed.

Another popular attraction here is the Ladykirk and Norham bridges. The bridges spanning the Tweed were completed in 1887, replacing an earlier wooden bridge.

And at the end of this bridge rests a ‘Welcome to Scotland’ sign just to remind travellers that they might skip onto Scottish land without warning.

Norham
Berwick-upon-Tweed
TD15 2JY
England

This article first appeared on Thrifty Traveller