Ogston - The Reservoir
w/e 02 November 2008
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
The latest images for the four weeks in October this
year pretty much took care of themselves with Autumn Footprints, Ilkeston Fair and the Stapleford Town Walk but as we neared the
end of the month, I hadn't planned anything so it was a spur
of the moment decision that took us about fifteen miles north
of Ilkeston to Ogston Reservoir. A bright and sunny morning gave
way to a cloudy afternoon and a cold north wind made it feel
more like January than late October but here are a few shots
from our visit anyway.
There are three public car parks around the banks of the reservoir
and this image from the one on the north bank into the hazy sun's
rays reflecting off the water is looking across towards the Ogston
Sailing Club.
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Another car park on the west bank is adjacent to the Sailing
Club but separate from it. It was here on Ogston Reservoir that
Derbyshire born and round the world record breaking yachtswoman
Dame Ellen MacArthur began training for her sailing career.
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Ogston Reservoir was originally created using water from the
River Amber by flooding the valley in 1958 destroying most of
the village of Woolley. It was created to supply the National
Coal Board's Carbonisation Plant at Wingerworth but is now used
in conjunction with the nearby Carsington Reservoir and supplies
water for the local area. Covering an area of 220 acres, it holds
1300 million gallons of water and much of the land around the
reservoir is off limits to the general public being a Site of
Special Scientific Interest. There are areas though which are
accessible to members of the Ogston Bird Club and regular guided
walks start as this gate just off the west bank car park.
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Another path from the car park leads to a stone built structure
at the edge of the reservoir and this is open to the general
public.
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The structure is in fact a hide from where ornithologists can
pursue their bird watching from the relative comfort of wooden
benches and through narrow windows. Over 220 bird species have
been recorded at Ogston.
Inside the hide are a number of informative and educational notices
of which the above produced by the Severn Trent Water Authority
is one.
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And this is what the ornithologists come for - a view through
one of the windows showing a variety of the birds that make the
reservoir their home. The glass in the windows is somewhat grimy
as you would expect in such an exposed position but the windows
can be opened and secured to allow clearer views of the waterfowl.
Opening a window for this shot also exposed us to that cold wind
again and although the birds have to make the best of the conditions
whatever the weather, we decided to resort to the warmth of the
car for our return home.
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