Watergrove Reservoir

Introduction

This week, I followed a recommendation from my son Adam, and headed to this United Utilities reservoir in the South Pennines, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. There were some unexpected twists along the way!

Travel time – 50 minutes each way. Walk time – 3hrs 40minutes, plus a quarter of an hour for lunch.

The weather was amazing, A pleasant 12 degrees C, no wind, and pretty much non-stop sunshine. Ideal walking weather.

This walk was 8.8 miles, rising 1240 feet, 380m.

Once again, the walk requires dogs to be kept on a lead due to sheep grazing and rare moorland birds nesting at this time of year. However, the walk along the 2 miles of United Utilities trails around Watergrove Reservoir is lovely, and very welcoming for dogs.

OS Explorer Map OL21.

Parking is free in the car park, accessed through the village of Wardle, with its attractive square and pub!

An Admission

As may be apparent from the map of the walk, I lost my way as I approached Rough Hill, misled by the unmapped modern track created to build and service the wind turbines on the hills. Once I realised, it seemed hellish to turn back so I pushed on to the equally hellish “Hades Hill”!

Watergrove Reservoir

The reservoir was built in 1938 by Rochdale Corporation to provide drinking water. I imagine it’s rarely as tranquil as I found it this morning.

I headed off round the eastern side of the water. A stone in the wall not far from the car park has the inscription JWB 1841. An internet search has revealed that in the now submerged village of Watergrove:

“a small mill for weaving woollen cloth was built in 1841”

So, I surmise that the stone was perhaps once a part of the mill building.

It is a most attractive site. The picture below is taken from the now sadly abandoned Visitor Centre and Toilet block at the northern end of the reservoir.

The Ascent

I headed north through the pretty wooded valley alongside Higher Slack Brook.

The path soon turned to the right, away from the brook, and then joined a track heading up towards the wind turbines ahead. The views back to the reservoir, and to the city and Cheshire plain were spectacular. To the south I could clearly see the unmistakable shape of Shutlingsloe, the Sutton mast and the Cloud at Congleton, 40 miles away.

The Wrong Way

Entranced by the views I headed east, when I should have continued north, though the start of paths leaving the new service track are not marked, and thus not easy to see.

Ramsden Clough Reservoir

Or maybe not! After negotiating Hades Hill, I sought out this small reservoir built in the 1880s, and nestled in the hills. It’s on the map…..

but it’s not on the ground, having clearly been abandoned some time since the OS Map was last updated. All I’ve found on the internet is:

“A few years ago the reservoir was de-commissioned due to too much peat in the water. It was drained and left an empty, muddy mess, a blot on the landscape. Attempts were made to landscape the mess, and the area was sprayed with wild flower seeds.”

To The Summit

Turning northwest I passed a disused farm behind a pretty, tumbling stream.

Pressing on, I came to the final steep ascent of Trough Edge End where, as ever, I couldn’t resist selfies at the trig point, 454m above sea level.

Returning South

After heading west, including negotiating a barbed wire fence blocking a right of way (grrr!) I reached the Rossendale Way where I turned left to the south, and headed steadily back towards Watergrove. There were still great views to the valley below, on my right.

Eventually, the reservoir came back into view just after recrossing the service track below Hades Hill. Again the paths were hard to find at this point, there being no signposts to help.

This stretch brought the best birdwatching of the day – a pair of stonechats, male reed bunting, and most beautifully, a stunning male wheatear – a gorgeous bird with such a startling mix of bold black, white and grey colours, unmistakable if you see one.

Arriving at the Pennine Bridleway, I soon took a left turn, to follow a small stream called Broad Ing, eventually meeting up with the United Utilities track around the reservoir which led me back to the top of the dam, and on to the car park. A great day, made by the weather and the views!

And Finally….

A week ago, I’d never heard of The Snuts. They are now my current favourite band. Great Daily Mirror recommendation.

This is “No Place I’d Rather Go” and it’s epic. Roll on 26th November, when I have tickets to see them live at The Ritz in Manchester.