The approach to Ford Village immediately finds Ford Castle which dates back to the 14th Century and offers a very panoramic approach to the village. It was extensively restored and altered in both the 18th and 19th century and is now a local field study centre.

Ford Village itself is thought to have been a crossing place for monks and nuns travelling between the monasteries at Iona (off the Scottish mainland to the west) and Lindisfarne / Holy Island (off the Northumbrian coast to the east). Later the area was subjected to a long, chaotic and often bloodthirsty period, with cross-border warfare between the English and the Scots at its usual fury. It also suffered the family feuding of the Border Reiver period. King James stayed at Ford Castle prior to the Battle of Flodden where he was to lose his life leading the Scots against the English.

After Flodden, peace came and by the 19^th century Ford had a thriving, sustainable community, supporting large populations involved in agriculture, forestry and associated occupations. The cycle route passes a few tiny hamlets with a bungalowed street where the workers of the area lived. These were model villages set up to support the landowners and the villagers, built after the difficult years of centuries gone by.

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