Wayoh wanderings

Our weekend exploration of local reservoirs continued with another walk, this time around the moors above Bolton and the waters of Entwistle and Wayoh. As with Earnsdale, these reservoirs were built in Victorian times by the nearby mill towns to provide drinking water to their growing populations.





There's usually some kind of plaque or commemoration somewhere to find and Entwistle reservoir is no exception with this ornate marker dated 1884, though the reservoir itself is much older than this. Entwistle's dam was built in 1834 and is particularly impressive, spanning a deep valley. At its construction it was, according to Wikipedia, the highest in Britain rising an impressive 108 feet.

Our walk took us away from Entwistle, past the now empty Strawbury Duck (which was a popular weekend pub in the 90s), and over the railway. Entwistle station is a remote request-only stop these days, but the information about the station on the bridge shows it was once a much busier place.

On our route we were entertained by several robins, and this one was happy to pose and sing for us for several minutes. Normally by the time I get the long lens ready they've long since flown away, but this time he stayed put to let me get some reasonable shots. Being hand-held they're not perfect and I've had to take away some twigs from in front of him in Photoshop which isn't so easy to do.





The route we followed around Wayoh revealed some impressive views towards the Armsgrove viaduct, which spans an arm of Wayoh but actually predates it by nearly 30 years. As we made our way round, eventually the path takes us up close and then underneath the viaduct, before returning us back to the car park.