Thread: Otterburn

Many of us will have travelled up the road from Newcastle to the Otterburn training area at some point. At various stages on the route, as you near the Otterburn village there are a number of old WW2 pill boxes, some with additional concrete fortifications added on. These form a number of lines of defence for the high ground facing north. Anyone any idea why? were we expecting Jerry to invade Scotland and march south or were we really expecting the Jocks to trade sides and invade our green and pleasant land? anyone with any background to these shout out, I would be interested since I drive past them every day now.

Cheers

No

There was a regional seat of govenment bunker at the top of the hill - now a cat's home...

look for the masts....

Otterburn aka Satans valley !! I dont know the asnwer to your Q but i do remember every time we went there it was pissn with rain

Aye, noticed the masts and some contrsuctions around it.

And yes, it was slashing down again today. Sleet, the horizontal kind.

Part of the GHQ Stop Line network of invasion defences I think

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GHQ_Line

Just to add, more specific to the ones you refer to, its actually the Coquet Stop Line

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coquet_Stop_Line

I've been there, albeit, not on any kind of military posting, this last summer. I was up in Northumberland visiting a friend from University who then decided I had to see Otterburn, so we went to see his friend up there. He lives in a farm - right next to the base, in sight of in fact. He then attempted to convince me how his family pay cheaper rent for the place on account of his house being between the base and a mortar range. Other than that he just spent the day telling the delinquents of the village that I wasn't from these parts.

Originally Posted by jagman

Just to add, more specific to the ones you refer to, its actually the Coquet Stop Line

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coquet_Stop_Line

I'd never even heard of this. Wiki is a great thing.

Originally Posted by March_Hare

I've been there, albeit, not on any kind of military posting, this last summer. I was up in Northumberland visiting a friend from University who then decided I had to see Otterburn, so we went to see his friend up there. He lives in a farm - right next to the base, in sight of in fact. He then attempted to convince me how his family pay cheaper rent for the place on account of his house being between the base and a mortar range. Other than that he just spent the day telling the delinquents of the village that I wasn't from these parts.

Many years ago they certainly used to fire in (Guns but not mortars) )from the smaller ex area just to the SE of Otterburn to the main ex area. Doubt if it happens any more but his story may have some basis of fact.

Im trying to think of an army ex area that was worse than Otterburn ??

It's been a little while since I've been down to Otterburn - Barrybuddon seems to be the barren wasteland of choice these days - so my memory is a little hazy.

Jagman, where is the hill with the masts and the bunker?

Barrybuddon is a dot on the landscape compared to Otterburn

I need to take my pills, memories of Otterburn are becoming nightmares - again :(

Originally Posted by in_the_cheapseats

Originally Posted by jagman

Just to add, more specific to the ones you refer to, its actually the Coquet Stop Line

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coquet_Stop_Line

I'd never even heard of this. Wiki is a great thing.

Couldn't remember the name of that particular line :D Hence the Wiki link.
The whole country is riddled with them, fortunatly some of them are now listed and the historical value is slowly being rcognised.
Even some of the Lake District pass's have pillbox's tucked away on them. Many rivers where designated as stop lines against tanks, the Eden in Cumbria still retains many of its features, lots of the bridges still have fortifications hidden away near them. If you know where to look there is a huge quantity of fortifications still surviving

Originally Posted by Dandy-Angus

Im trying to think of an army ex area that was worse than Otterburn ??

Garlochhead I claim my 15 year old Malt :D

A wetter Otterburn with velociraptor midges.

Originally Posted by rickshaw-major

Originally Posted by Dandy-Angus

Im trying to think of an army ex area that was worse than Otterburn ??

Garlochhead I claim my 15 year old Malt :D

A wetter Otterburn with velociraptor midges.

Mmmm you could be right, I forgot about that little haven of delight ,I dont think it was as hilly tho !