Saddington Reservoir

[Theo]

We moored on the offside between the overflow weir and the feeder outlet and took a walk up to the reservoir.

 

 

This was the guardian of the footpath. We prevaricated until the farmer appeared and took him off to a different field with his cows.

 

 

The outflow from below the dam.

 

 

 

Views of the reservoir. Very low. No wonder that there was nothing going down the feeder.

 

 

The feeder. Most of it was side to side with reeds. I am surprised that any water reaches the canal through a channel clogged like this.

 

N

[magpie patrick]

Listed by the Outdoor Swimming Society on their website, and according to naturespot* "the second oldest reservoir in the county" - I assume Leicestershire although the wildlife trust covers Rutland as well. Anyone any idea what the oldest reservoir in Leicestershire might be?h

 

*naturespot is a website run by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, NOT a variant on wild swimming before some of our more imaginative posters get ideas!

 

A couple of random thoughts - the canal here was originally the highest level of the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire Union Canal as built, so they would have needed their own water supply, and presumably the presence of this reservoir allowed the Grand Junction Company to send water from the Leicester Line summit towards the Braunston Summit to supplement supplies there without jeopardising the use of the broad locks towards the Soar: with the Foxton Inclined lane in use virtually no lockage water would have come this way.

[Richard T]

Listed by the Outdoor Swimming Society on their website, and according to naturespot* "the second oldest reservoir in the county" - I assume Leicestershire although the wildlife trust covers Rutland as well. Anyone any idea what the oldest reservoir in Leicestershire might be?h

I would guess that the oldest is Blackbrook which was originally built for the Charnwood Forest canal. Its dam did fail and was later rebuilt to provide a water supply for Loughborough. It is still in use.