Two Reservoirs: the Back of Beyond

The view from the dam of Scar House Reservoir.

You don’t have to go very far in Yorkshire to feel remote.  You don’t even have to get beyond the reach of the man-made.  Those adjacent reservoirs in Nidderdale for instance, Angram and Scar House, both built to supply the City of Bradford with fresh water: Angram in the 1890s, Scar House in the 1920s.  They’re off the beaten track, isolated.  You’d never guess that when they were being built construction workers had their families with them on site: a shop, a place of worship, a school, all built for their use.

Now the construction workers are long gone, and their community too.  Only the odd foundation stone remains. The area feels remote, reached only after a long drive down a narrow B road and one belonging to Yorkshire Water.  It’s home to a rich variety of wild life.  Walkers love to tramp its walking routes, relishing the emptiness, the silence, the bleak beauty of this spot.

Walking by Angram Reservoir, Even the distant view of the dam doesn’t change the feeling of remoteness.

Debbie from Travel with Intent is responsible for this post.  Because of her, I’ve joined her Six Word Saturday Challenge, and been led to the Friendly Friday Photo Challenge: Remote.  Thanks, Debbie!

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and living in North Yorkshire, where I walk as often as I can, write, volunteer, and travel as often as I can.

35 thoughts on “Two Reservoirs: the Back of Beyond”

  2. That first photo is something else! The clouds, the hills looking like a cut out, the water and then the bridge which looks as if it were holding back the water. Wonderful.

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    1. Well, it is indeed holding back the water! It’s quite a special place: the skies are always wonderful, whatever the weather, and the whole place generally atmospheric.

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  3. I feel a solemness, sadness and also space for deep breathing. Not my kind of environment, but I deeply appreciate it being there. I‘ll send my bro in law to you, maybe Hero Husband too. They enjoy that kind of scenery. Thank you for sharing, Margaret.

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    1. I quite understand why this bleak scenery is not for everybody. It always excites me in some way – maybe it appeals to some kind of pioneering instinct that makes me feel I am alone in a challenging environment? Even though man has had an impact on every landscape in this country, however austere.

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    1. Well, it could still have been the Yorkshire Dales. We do tree-lined landscapes too! Though there are other possibilities. The Peak District?

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  6. Very nice Margaret. Its very similar to the reservoirs in the Peak district.Bleak in winter but heaven in summer when the sun comes out(eventually!)

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  8. One of my favourite places. We used to find lots of clay pipes there when we took the children. We’ve also been up there during the occasional North Yorkshire ‘heatwave’ – it’s always a few degrees cooler! We’ve also taken picnics which have had to be abandoned due to the fierce winds that blow down the valley! x

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  13. Oh yes I second Sheryl’s comment above re fabulous composition. Bleak and remote has always appealed to me. When I was younger I investigated moving to the wilds of Wales – an isolated smallholding looked very appealing, but one blue light ambulance trip with my toddler daughter from a Suffolk village to Ipswich hospital changed my mind.

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    1. Ah yes. This spot simply wouldn’t do. Over an hour to a hospital, and maybe 25 minutes to the nearest doctor, more than half an hour to a chemist. Practicality suggests …. just … no.

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  16. I really like the brooding quality of these photos, and the top photo is beautifully composed and has a really special quality. I could quite happily go yomping there, though preferably when not too muddy underfoot.

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