This grassy plain is the bed of the southern end of the reservoir.....in normal conditions I would need to be in a boat to be here.......
Thirlmere reservoir supplies water to Manchester and other parts of north west England including Cumbria but after the driest year since 1929, the water levels are at nearly record lows.....a hose pipe ban is being considered in, of all places, the Lake District if there is no significent rain soon!!!!! This follows the record flooding last November which caused an enormous amount of damage here.
This grassy plain is the bed of the southern end of the reservoir.....in normal conditions I would need to be in a boat to be here.......
..............300yds further north is the edge of the receding water.
Looking west up Comb Gill towards Dollywagon Pike.....
....and looking south along the bed of Wythburn towards Steel Fell.
Dunmail Raise from Hause Point. The Thirlmere estate is some 4,800 hectares and includes tenanted farms, extensive areas of woodland and open fells, which in the east extends to the summit of Helvellyn. The lake, owned by North West Water, is now open to the public following improvements to the water treatment plants. There is access to the reservoir shore and canoeing, sailboarding and dinghy sailing are free facilities at anytime, whilst fishing is subject to a charge.......but probably none of these activities are available at the moment!
The eastern slopes of Helvellyn.
Deergarth How Island on the right, Hawes How Island to the left with a wisp of smoke rising from the trees.....campers...or fire due to the dry conditions?
The lake is best appreciated from the little road that threads its way along the west shore line where there is access from several lay-bys and car parks.
The exposed shoreline showing the extent of the drop in the water level.
The dam at the northern end of the reservoir, Blencathra dominating the background.
Great How.
Raven Crag.
The fall in water levels has made Deergarth How Island accessible......
....on foot.
The Dam.....The reservoir is 3.5 miles long, 1.2 mile wide and 158 feet deep and was originally two smaller lakes, which were purchased by Manchester City Corporation Waterworks in 1889. The area was dammed at the north end with a solid masonry/concrete gravity dam whose greatest height is 104 feet, and the area became one vast reservoir. In the process, the settlements of Armboth and Wythburn were submerged, the only remaining building being the little church at Wythburn.
Valve House at the dam
Commemorative Stone