Winter 2020Take a walk at Watergrove

Enjoy a circular walk with lots of history around this Wardle reservoir

Watergrove reservoir in Wardle is popular with walkers, cyclists, runners and windsurfers.

This walking route follows public footpaths and bridleways and takes about an hour. For families with younger children it will take an hour and a half (or slightly longer, depending on how often you stop to jump in puddles).

Parts of the route can be muddy and wellingtons or walking boots are recommended. It is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.

Start from the car park at the foot of the reservoir dam, which is about half a mile up Ramsden Road from the Globe Inn pub in Wardle village.

This route is around the reservoir anti-clockwise, so the water should always be on your left-hand side.

From the car park head through the gate to the right (if you are facing the dam) and along the road. As you draw level with the top of the dam, continue along the road to the left.

Here, at the cattle grid you will see date stones set into the wall. These are from Watergrove village (and surrounding farms) which was flooded to create the reservoir in the 1930s.

If you want to go through the gate in the wall on your left to the other side of the wall, this will bring you out at the windsurfing club, or you can stay on the road.

When you reach the windsurfing club, turn right up the sett-paved Ramsden Road.

For an alternative route closer to the water (and out of the wind), turn left through the gate into a wooded area. The path is easy to follow around the reservoir but there are more steps and the paths are narrower. It’s still a route suitable for families.

If you stay on Ramsden Road you will pass the ruins of Littletown Farm and then Steward Barn further up. At Littletown Farm there are some picnic benches if you’ve brought a snack.

After Littletown Farm, continue along the cobbled road and go through the gate. At Steward Barn you can stop to look down on the woods and the reservoir. Here the road continues up and to the right. Take the path to the left through the gate - signposted Pennine Bridleway towards Whitworth.

Follow the path down into Higher Slack Nature Reserve and when you reach a bridge over the stream to your right cross it and head up to another gate.

Through the gate, there is another sign for the Pennine Bridleway, ignore the sign for Whitworth this time and turn left here.

This path is out in the open again and brings you back down into another wooded area and eventually down to the side of the reservoir. Continue along the side of the water to the dam and then turn left along the top of the dam and back to the car park.