^'ORTHUMBEELAND AND DURHAM. ' 99 



and for the same distance on the north separates Durham and 

 N"orthumberlan.d. Eound the head of the dale sweeps a continu- 

 ous crescent of high barren grassy or heathery fell, several of the 

 peaks of which exceed 700 yards, whilst the passes into Cumber- 

 land, Teesdale, and Allendale are all from 500 to 600 yards in 

 elevation. Due south of AUenheads, only a very short distance 

 from the highest point of the road from Allendale to "Wear Head 

 village, Stangend Rigg attains 2075 feet. At the extreme north- 

 west of the county Kilhope Law reaches 2206 feet, with a view 

 extendiug northward over Whitfield Fell to Simonside and the 

 Cheviots. The four peaks of the western watershed ridge, pro- 

 ceeding from north to south, are Knoutberry Hill (2195 feet), 

 (the knoutberry is Buhus chamcBmorus, which grows on the upper 

 part of all these fells in profusion). Dead Stones (2326 feet), 

 Bui'nhope Seat (2368 feet, the highest point in the county), and 

 Ashgill Head (2274 feet). From the village of St. John's Chapel 

 five glens radiate towards the south-west, west, and north-west, 

 like spokes from the axis of a wheel, Kilhope, Welhope, Burn- 

 hope, Irishope, and Harthope. On the west side of the boundary 

 peaks just mentioned, we have the Main Limestone at an eleva- 

 tion of 700 yards. In Kilhope, "Welhope, and Bumhope it forms 

 crags along the edge of the fells at from 550 to 600 yards, so that 

 everywhere in the peaks masses of gritstone overlie it. Proceed- 

 ing eastward, before reaching any of the villages, Burtreeford Dike 

 is encountered, which throws down the beds towards the east not 

 less than 90 fathoms. This crosses the upper part of Irishope, 

 bending due north across the lower part of Burnhope and the 

 united burns of Kilhope and "Welhope, turns a little eastward, 

 so as to margin with limestone crags the highest point of the 

 Weardale and Allendale road, and then crosses the county boun- 

 dary. None of these western hopes show much of the limestone 

 cliff. In Bumhope there is a curious bank of crumbling dark- 

 coloured shale with a natural wood of birch, alder, and stunted 

 willows, in which grow Crepis succiscefolia, Carduus heterophyllus, 

 and Hieracimn gothicum and iridentatum. At Wearhead (1100 

 feet), the highest village in the dale, the stream has already at- 

 tained a considerable size. Black Dene on the north is a steeply 



