Walk Description

Today we decided to visit the Ogden Reservoir that is just to the west of the Halifax to Keighley road.  Once the preserve of Yorkshire Water, this is now a popular family recreational area and the woods on the west bank of Ogden Reservoir form the Ogden Water Nature Reserve.  We parked in the small carpark above the east bank of the reservoir and put our parking fee (50p) into the honesty box.

We strolled along the well made path through the woods towards the back of the reservoir.  The woods here are full of interesting fungi and although its early in the year for many of the species, it wasn't long before Steve's eagle eyes spotted a few for me to photograph growing in the shade behind the tree trunks lining the path.  When we reached the back of the reservoir we took the north west path and made our way up stream past Great Scar and White Wall End.  We stopped for a short while at the footbridge and then continued up onto Thornton Moor.  Although it was an obvious wide track and there was no danger of us losing our way, there are large cairns every 100m along the path.

Just before we started to descend Hambleton Lane we turned west and followed the path through the disused workings across Little Clough and Great Clough and up to Nab Hill, where there are a number of large well built cairns and shleters.  From here we made out way directly across the moor, through yet more disused workings to the trig point on Hollin Hill. There is a memorial plaque on the side of the trig point with a fitting sentiment for any walker especially a Yorkshire Man.  From here we had views across Warley Moor Reservoir (also know as Fly Flat Reservoir) to Low Brown Knoll and Stoodley Pike.  Closer to us was Warley Moor itself with the wierd sounding areas of Too To Hill, Sleepy Lowe Flat, Fill Belly Flat and Rocking Stone Flat, none of which looked exciting enough to entice us from our original path.  After the obiligatory photos we continued through the old quarries to the unclassified road above the reservoir.

We walked along the road to the wind farm carpark and its information boards with their many facts about the reservoir and the wind farm.  Far more interesting to us was the curlew family in the field adjacent to the carpark.  I was lucky enough to get a very quick glimpse of the chicks before they disappeared into the rough grass. The parents put on a wonderful aerial display and stayed fairly close to us, so we stayed awhile to photograph them.  We then continued down the road to the Withens Hotel.   This was once Yorkshire's highest Inn.   Unfortunately it is no longer open and is now a private residence.

Just to one side of the Withens Hotel disused carpark is an unusual gravestone inscribe with the following epitaph for 2 greyhounds that drowned on 31st March 1891:

"Here lie the remains of Wallet and Dart
Who in their last race made a capital start,
But their owners lamented, they never got through it,
Alas they were drowned in the Thornton conduit."

We then followed the bridleway east along the side of Round Hill and Mixenden Ings back to Ogden Reservoir where we enjoyed an ice cream in the picnic area behind the Visitors' Centre.  There weren't any birds or squirrels at the feeding station today, perhaps that was because of all the young children chasing the ducks through the picnic area.  However the ebbing and flowing well at the back of this grassy area was in flow flow today.  Local legend states that if you look deeply into the well water you will see the face of an old wise man.  Try it for yourself.

This had been a good choice for a walk on a hot day, as the breeze across the moor had reduced the temperature to a level more suited to walking.  For once the sunscreen had been needed as we could feel our faces tingling when we got back to the car.