Yorkshire Walks

The weather was fine and sunny this morning as my mate, Jim, and I drove through Pateley Bridge and up Nidderdale to the Yorkshire Water car park at Scar House Reservoir, map ref. SE069766 about 6km from the village of Lofthouse. There are public toilets at the car park and several information boards about the area and the history of the reservoirs in upper Nidderdale. Construction of first Angram dam and then the Scar House dam took place from 1904 to 1937 and a village for the workers and their families was built near the site of the Scar House dam complete with church, cinema, canteen, hostel and family bungalows. The foundations of the village are visible from the access road as you approach the car park.

Path across the dam at Scar House reservoir

Scar House dam & Little Whernside beyond

The dam at Scar House

Looking down Nidderdale from Scar House dam

The story is told in a discussion of the names of two rocks on a page called "Jenny Twigg & her daughter Tib". When the reservoir is full the path is not far from the waters edge. However, today, in mid-June after a long period with little rainfall we were about 6m above the water level.

We started walking at about 10.15am across the dam of Scar House reservoir. Once across the dam we turned sharp left to walk along a path following the edge of the reservoir. Up to our right was Dead Man's Hill, so named after the murder of three peddlers in 1728 . . .

The car park at Scar House

Path across the dam at Scar House

Path by Scar House reservoir

An angler at Scar House

The thistles were just starting to flower

Old riveted pressure pipe from Angram Reservoir

The path was on the bed of an old narrow gauge railway (3ft.) which used to bring materials and supplies to the construction site at the Angram Reservoir Dam, built between 1904 and 1919. In places there were the remains of wooden railway sleepers and at one point we noticed a single iron rail suspended across a little eroded gulley by the path. The railway connected with the Nidd Valley Light Railway at Lofthouse. There are remnants of this railway all down the valley to Pateley Bridge.

Below us on the stony shore was an angler enjoying the fine weather. At one point the top of a riveted steel plate high pressure water pipe was exposed in the path. This was the aqueduct carrying the raw water from Angram reservoir down the valley for use in Bradford. This pipeline dates from just before the first world war when riveting was used in preference to the new fangled and not very reliable method of welding.

Path on the old railway bed by Scar House reservoir

Path on the old railway bed by Scar House reservoir

Old riveted pressure pipes by the path

A green tiger beetle in the sand on the path

Redundant stile by the path

Path turns right to climb the hillside

Our first view of Angram dam

The path contoured around the hillside at a level of around 460m. This is quite high hill country for this part of the world but on a sunny day in mid June it was surprisingly lush and green. There were the cries of lapwing and curlew as they circled overhead and we kept to the track so as not to disturb their chicks.

We continued on the path around the north side of Scar House Reservoir for almost 2km to map ref. SE049770. Here the path turned right to climb up the hillside to the level of Angram Reservoir, about 1km further up the valley. At the top of the climb the path turned left.

An oyster catcher by Scar Hours Res

Swaledale ewe with a single lamb

Looking back to Scar House res.

Track to Angram dam

Angram reservoir

Up to our right was the peak of Little Whernside at 604m and ahead of us the ridge of Great Whernside at 704m. This ridge is the watershed between Nidderdale on this side and Wharfedale, at Kettlewell on the far side. (There's a good walk up to Great Whernside from Kettlewell)

After about 1km we came to the dam of Angram Reservoir. It's an impressive stone faced structure around 50m high across a narrow steep sided part of the valley, as I suppose you would expect. We sat by the dam for a welcome drink in the hot sunshine, and then continued around the edge of Angram Reservoir.

Sand banks exposed in Angram reservoir

Looking up to Nidd Head and Great Whernside

Climbing up from the R.Nidd weir

Canada geese at Angram Reservoir

The path continued around the edge of this arm of the reservoir and out along the other arm of the reservoir to the inlet weir on Stone Beck.

After about 1km the path dropped down to a weir on the infant River Nidd across the inlet to Angram Reservoir.

Weir on River Nidd inlet to Angram Reservoir

Looking down the R.Nidd arm of Angram Res.

Angram Reservoir

The weir on Stone Beck inlet to Angram Reservoir

As soon as we sat down we realised that there were a couple of swallows nests in the shelter and the parent birds were trying to feed their young so we moved on to leave them in peace.

We crossed the footbridge near the weir. Then we followed the track around the reservoir back to the dam at map ref. SE044762. Just beyond the dam was a shelter where we stopped for a drink in the shade.

Meadow pipet on a post by the track

Looking back over Scar House reservoir to Gt Whernside

The whole walk had been a little over 10km and it had taken us almost four hours in the hot sunshine including a couple of breaks.

We continued along this track for another 2.5km back to the car park at Scar House Reservoir.

Meadow pipet on a post by the track

Heading back to the car park at Scar House Reservoir

This walk is taken from a series of reservoir walks published by Yorkshire Water.

Heading back to the car park on the track beside Scar House Reservoir