Anglo-Scottish border north of the boundary for oil installations established by the Civil Jurisdiction (Offshore Activities) Order 1987. The border country, historically known as the Scottish Marches, is the area either side of the Anglo-Scottish border including parts of the modern council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, and parts of the English counties of Cumbria and Northumberland. It is a hilly area, with the Scottish Southern Uplands to the north, and the Cheviot Hills forming the border between the two countries to the south. From the Norman conquest of England until the reign of James VI of Scotland,
Northumberland Sandstone Hills flushes, mires, loughs and small reservoirs are dotted throughout the area. Fifteen percent of the NCA lies within the Northumberland National Park and it also contains one Special Protection Area - Holburn Lake & Moss - and 3 Special Areas of Conservation - Simonside Hills; Harbottle Moors; and River Tweed - as well as 18 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, the latter totalling 3,771 hectares. Its major watercourses are the rivers Aln, Till, Coquet, Fallowlees Burn, Font and Rede. Smaller hill ranges within the Northumberland Sandstone Hills include the Simonside Hills and Harbottle Hills in the south, and Alnwick Moor,