Otterburn Training Area facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Otterburn Training Area |
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| Otterburn | |
The southern entrance to Otterburn MoD camp
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 Otterburn Training Area
Location within Northumberland
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| Coordinates | 55°22′10″N 2°18′20″W / 55.36944°N 2.30556°W |
| Type | Training Area |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator |  British Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1911 |
| Built for | War Office |
| In use | 1911 – present |
The Otterburn Army Training Estate (ATE) is a special area in northern England where the British Army practices its skills. It's located near a village called Otterburn, Northumberland. This huge area is owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD), which is the government department in charge of the country's armed forces.
The Otterburn Training Estate is managed by a company called Landmarc. Every year, around 30,000 soldiers come here to train. This training area was first set up in 1911, which means it has been used for over 100 years! It covers a massive 242 square kilometers (about 93 square miles) of land in the southern Cheviot Hills.
Contents
What is the Otterburn Training Area?
The Otterburn Training Area is a place where soldiers learn and practice important military skills. It's like a giant outdoor classroom and playground for the army. They use it to train with different types of weapons and vehicles, preparing them for real-life situations.
Why is Otterburn Important?
Otterburn is super important because it's the UK's largest firing range. This means it's the biggest place where the army can practice shooting with powerful weapons. When the army is training, you can often hear the sounds of their practice from far away, even from places like Lindisfarne to the northeast or Fontburn to the south.
Training with Big Guns
Soldiers at Otterburn use large weapons like AS-90 artillery guns. These are big cannons that can fire shells over long distances. They also train with M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, often called MLRS. These systems can fire many rockets at once! Otterburn is the only place in the whole UK where the MLRS can be fired. This is because firing these rockets needs a very long and wide safe area – about 11 miles long and 2 miles wide!
Sharing the Land: Park and Public Access
Even though Otterburn is a military training area, it's also part of the beautiful Northumberland National Park. In fact, the training area makes up about 23% of the entire park! This means that a large part of this protected natural area is also used by the military.
Staying Safe at Otterburn
Because the army uses live ammunition and powerful weapons, it can be dangerous for people to be in certain parts of the training area. This is why public access is limited. However, some parts of the estate are open to the public, but you must follow special rules called bylaws. The Ministry of Defence even publishes a booklet called Walks on Ministry of Defence Lands to help people find safe paths and understand where they can go. It's always important to check for red flags or warning signs, which mean that live firing is happening and you should stay away.
Gallery
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Otterburn Ranges. The road leading into the Ministry of Defence Ranges, and the red flag showing that the army are practising live firing there.
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Turn left here for Otterburn - geograph.uk - 158911.jpg
Signpost for Otterburn Crossroads on the MoD ranges
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Entrance to the Otterburn Ranges near Holystone - note the cattle grid
