Cheviots Walks
Flodden Field
Date: 27th June 2008
Distance: 1.75 miles
Ascent: Negligible
Time: 45 minutes
With: Lisa and Rhiannon
Start Grid Ref: NT888373
Walk Summary:
A very short but very interesting walk around the site of the famous battle of Flodden Field.
Route Summary: Waymarked battlefield trail.
Photos: Click on the photos below to enlarge.
Walk Detail: We'd shortened our walk in the morning so had time in the afternoon to look for something else to do. After visiting the small military museum in Coldstream we decided to stop off at the site of the Battle of Flodden Field.
The Battle of Flodden Field is one of the seminal set piece battles on British soil. It was fought on 9th September 1513 between the invading Scots army of James IV and the English army under the Earl of Surrey.
Despite holding the higher ground the Scots attacked and though their left wing was initially successful the centre and right wing floundered in the marsh that separated the two lines. The result was a complete disaster for the Scots.
It has been estimated that out of an army of approximately 25,000 the Scots left 10,000 dead on the field. Amongst the dead were James IV himself, an archbishop, two bishops, 11 earls, 15 lords and 300 knights - almost an entire generation of Scottish nobility was lost in the space of a day. By contrast the English are said to have lost just 1,700 out of an army of 20,000.
A monument to the battle was erected in 1910 on the low ridge where the English were lined up. In 2004 a battlefield trail was created which visits a number of key positions on the battlefield. The information boards do an excellent job of describing the carnage that took place on what is now a pleasant rural scene.
It was a fascinating little walk and one that I would strongly recommend to anyone who has an interest in history.
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