Thruscross Reservoir
10 July 2005
10 July 2005
The reservoir comes back into view, and the walk finishes at the impressive dam. For background and route information, see the foot of the page.
In case you were wondering where the reservoir had gone, as our walk did take us away from it for a while, don't worry, it's still here, and it's still got plenty of water in it. Note conifer trees on the opposite bank - where we started our walk.
As we're leaving the reservoir boundaries, there's another ruined building. This one seems to have been someone's house. The roof timbers are still there, hanging on, but the rest of the roof is gone, and so nettles and other weeds are growing not only around the house but inside it too. This place seems even more touching than the derelict mill.
Round the back, through the weeds, there's a door that hasn't been used for a while, though it's left open still. Strangely, though no one has lived here for years, I felt like I was intruding, and like someone did still live here, and so I returned to the path.
After walking along the road for a while, we cross the top of Thruscross Dam. This photo shows the view from the road across the dam, on the opposite side from the reservoir. The dam we saw previously, at Fewston Reservoir, was a Victorian construction, all curved and elegant. This dam, built in the 1960s, is more angular, and made of concrete (did anyone build anything in the 60s that wasn't made of concrete?) This view though is attractive, with the green of the rest of the valley around this modern intrusion on the landscape.
Leaning over the edge to take this photo, I was struck by the pleasing symmetry, though the access paths to either side are slightly asymmetrical in design. I'm also reminded of a splendid song by an American band called Sugar, about 'standing on the edge of the Hoover Dam'. A quick check on the web confirms my suspicions that the Hoover Dam is a bit larger than this one . . .
Leaving the road across the dam we climb some steps back to the car park. From the steps it's suddenly clear what weight of water this dam is holding back. On this side, there's a massive drop, with a small stream at the bottom. On the other side, all that water, held in by that thing I've just walked across. Blimey.
Distance: 4.5 miles approx | The route details are available via this link to the Yorkshire Water website
Yorkshire Water's information on Thruscross Reservoir
After much searching for background information on the lost village, I found a fantastic online library of old photographs of the area - The Unnetie Project Site. The library is searchable, and has some interesting photos of the old village, and the construction of the dam (search for 'West End' and 'Thruscross').
