A Circuit of Stock’s Reservoir

• Great variety of birds, flora and scenery
• History of the dam building
• Good and well signposted paths

The history of Stocks Reservoir is as interesting as the walk itself. A village was built with 500 workers and their families living at dam end between 1922 and 1932 when the dam was opened by Prince George. At its highest the reservoir holds a billion litres of water, mainly serving the Flyde area of Lancashire, but walking around the reservoir in the summer 2010 it looked particularly empty. Ironically I walked the circuit on a wet and showery day, a great day for the wild fowl but not so good for the many fishermen who make use of the well stocked lake. I headed off north to follow the well signposted route although it makes little difference in which direction the walk is taken. I also extended the walk on the upper end of the Hodder valley as it is a remote and interesting area; isolated farms and wild moorland adding a nice contrast to the reservoir and woodland that typifies the remainder of the walk. Aside from its reputation as an excellent place to fish, bird watching is the main activity. Up to 30 species of wild fowl have been spotted on the shores, with special bird watching hides dotting the shores. It is an area rightly protected and the walker needs to compromise his wanderings and stick to the track; it is a long way round the reservoir but I found keeping your head up and watching for the wildlife does enliven the walk.

Recommend: Look for information on the history of the building of the dam – a major construction job in an age where machinery was less developed than today. Thus it required the building of its own construction village.

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© Crown copyright 2010 Ordnance Survey. Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.

OS Map:	O/S 1.25,000. OL41 Forest of Bowland & Ribblesdale
Start Point:	732563. There are 2 possible starting points, the fishing centre or the parking spot on School Lane beside Stocks. I prefer heading north from the car park and exploring the Upper Hodder Valley early in the walk.
Terrain:	The path is excellent throughout and well signposted. It appears raised for all the west side and is great to walk on.
Eating & Drinking:	There is a tea shop at the fishing centre at Hollins House which is welcome. Otherwise it is a drive to Slaidburn.
Similar Walks Nearby:	Fells over Slaidburn Exploring Gisburn Forest Long Preston Deeps
Places to Stay:	Inn at Whitewell, Dunsop Bridge