Fountains Abbey,

Studley Park &

The Nidderdale Way,

North Yorkshire

16th - 18th September 2011

[2]

 

  
Scar House Reservoir is the second of the three reservoirs in Upper Nidderdale, the others being Angram Reservoir and Gouthwaite Reservoir. The dam at Scar House contains over one million tonnes of masonry, it rises to 55 metres above the river and is almost 600 metres long. It was completed in 1936.  Scar House was the last reservoir to be built in the Nidd Valley and took fifteen years to complete, stone for the reservoir dam was quarried from the quarry on Dead Mans Hill on the north side, where steam houses can still be seen. Returning to the reservoir wall, the return path can be found a short distance up the road above the reservoir, running across Scar House Pasture to the top of the rise on the edge of the valley. Here it picks up a rough stone-filled track flanked on either side by a farm wall, which runs in a straight line down the hillside, descending towards the farming town of Middlesmoor. Gouthwaite Reservoir could be seen in the distance silhouetted by the late afternoon sun. We stopped along this track for a short tea break. I drained the last of the tea from my flask and savoured a choc-chip brioche. It was a glorious moment and we realised how lucky we had been all day as regards the weather, which had been most kind to us. It had lifted my spirits and I had thoroughly enjoyed the day's walk. No doubt, in poor weather, this would have been an entirely different experience.

 

Moo-cows at Limley Farm, Nidderdale Valley.

 

View from higher ground of Limley Farm, Nidderdale Valley, the tree-line following the River Nidd.

 

Nidderdale Valley's attractive and scenic Yorkshire Dales farm landscape.

 

View west towards New Houses, Nidderdale Valley. The Nidderdale Way runs up the valley on the right-hand side, below the ridge known as The Edge.

 

 

New Houses, Nidderdale Valley. looking west in the direction of Scar House Reservoir, just out of view to the left.

 

View of a ruined building and Summerstone Lodge, which lies just below The Edge.

 

A ram eyes us inquisitively as Scar House Reservoir wall comes into view (top left). In the valley below lies New Houses.

 

View south down Nidderdale Valley. The road to the left leads back towards Lofthouse, at the start of the day's walk.

 

 

Tree-line near New Houses Edge.

 

The road on the opposite side of the Nidderdale Valley leads to the right directly to Scar House Reservoir.

 

Leaving the Nidderdale Way path, with Scar House Reservoir clearly visible.

 

Gordon and Martin ahead of the rest of the gang, on the road leading to Scar House Reservoir. The opposite side of the valley we had can be seen in the distance (view east).

 

 

The 600 metre long 55 metre high Scar House Reservoir wall.

 

 

Steve, John, Maeve and Andy walking across Scar House Reservoir wall.

 

Sheltering from the rain. Lunch proves to be serious business on Xerox hikes. (L-R) Steve, John, Gordon, Martin, Tim and (out of view) Maeve and Andy.

 

 

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