Scaling Dam Reservoir

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Scaling Dam Reservoir
Scaling Reservoir
Scaling Dam Reservoir.jpg
Scaling Dam Reservoir from the east
North Yorkshire UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Scaling Dam Reservoir
Location within North Yorkshire
Location Scaling, North Yorkshire
Coordinates 54°30′14″N0°51′03″W / 54.5038°N 0.8508°W / 54.5038; -0.8508
Type Reservoir
Primary outflows Dam Beck
Roxby Beck
Staithes Beck
Catchment area 1,510 acres (612 hectares)
First flooded1958
Surface area100 acres (41 hectares)
Average depth12 feet (3.6 m)
Water volume51,275,600 cubic feet (1,451,962 m3)
Shore length12.5 miles (4 km)
Surface elevation607 feet (185 m)
References [1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Scaling Dam Reservoir is a freshwater man-made lake on the edge of the A171 road in North Yorkshire, England. The reservoir is near to the hamlet of Scaling from where it derives its name, and was built in 1958.

Contents

The reservoir lies inside the North York Moors National Park and the western half is in the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland, whilst the eastern half is in the Borough of Scarborough.

History

Scaling Dam Reservoir was built between 1952 and 1958 at a cost of £450,000 [2] [3] and is the largest lake in the North York Moors. [4] The area that the reservoir is built in was named Scaling Dam long before the reservoir was built in 1958; mapping and records show a hamlet of Scaling Dam in the early nineteenth century, [5] [6] and the name is mentioned in Camden's 17th century "Britannia". [7] The dam was constructed by the Tees Valley and Cleveland Water Company [8] and despite being in North Yorkshire (though its on the border between Redcar and Cleveland and the Borough of Scarborough), the dam is owned and regulated by Northumbrian Water. However, fresh water from the dam was historically supplied to Yorkshire Water, though this practice stopped in 2012. [9]

Unusually, the dam wall is long, running along the width of the reservoir on the northern side. Dam walls are usually narrow against the water that they hold back. [10] As such the deepest point, near the dam wall, is only 30 feet (9 m). [11]

Water leaving the dam exits as Dam Beck, which on its 3.7-mile (6 km) journey to the North Sea via the fishing village of Staithes, changes to Roxby Beck, Easington Beck and then finally Staithes Beck. [12]

Recreational uses

As the Environment Agency classify the water quality as being good, [13] Scaling Dam Reservoir is a suitable venue for angling, walking and swimming. [14] The dam also is home to the Scaling Dam Sailing Club. [15] There is a visitor centre and shop which sells angling supplies and parts of the reservoir are accessible for disabled anglers. [16]

Wildlife

Besides the fish (which have been introduced for angling), the site is noted for a regular appearance of ospreys during the spring and summer months, [17] and the Nathusius' pipistrelle bat. [18] As Scaling Dam is located close to the North Sea coast, it is an attractive site for migratory birds during the winter months, when human activity on the dam is not allowed. [19]

The western edge of the reservoir is also the site of a nature reserve, [20] and whilst there is no public access, people can walk around the edges of the reserve and the reservoir. [21]

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North Yorkshire is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber and North East regions of England. It borders County Durham to the north, the North Sea to the east, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the south-east, South Yorkshire to the south, West Yorkshire to the south-west, and Cumbria and Lancashire to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redcar and Cleveland</span> Borough in North Yorkshire, England

Redcar and Cleveland is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Its council has been a unitary authority since 1996.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loftus, North Yorkshire</span> Town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staithes</span> Village in North Yorkshire, England

Staithes is a village in North Yorkshire, England. Easington and Roxby Becks, which run into Staithes Beck, form the border between the unitary authorities of North Yorkshire and Redcar and Cleveland. The area located on the Redcar and Cleveland side is called Cowbar. Formerly a hub for fishing and mining, Staithes is now a tourist destination in the North York Moors National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulby</span> Village in North Yorkshire, England

Boulby is a hamlet in the Loftus parish, located within the North York Moors National Park. It is in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England. The hamlet is located off the A174, near Easington and 1-mile (1.6 km) west of Staithes.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Hills</span>

The Cleveland Hills are a range of hills on the north-west edge of the North York Moors in North Yorkshire, England, overlooking Cleveland and Teesside. They lie entirely within the boundaries of the North York Moors National Park. Part of the 110-mile (177 km) long Cleveland Way National Trail runs along the hills, and they are also crossed by a section of Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk. The hills, which rise abruptly from the flat Tees Valley to the north, include distinctive landmarks such as the cone-shaped peak of Roseberry Topping, near the village of Great Ayton – childhood home of Captain James Cook.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinderwell</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Hinderwell is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England which lies within the North York Moors National Park, about a mile from the coast on the A174 road between the towns of Loftus and Whitby. The 2011 UK census states Hinderwell parish had a population of 1,875, a decrease on the 2001 UK census figure of 2,013. Hinderwell was the most northerly parish in the Scarborough Borough Council area until its abolition in 2023. Hinderwell is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Hildrewell, and is said to have got its name from Saint Hilda of Whitby, the Abbess of Whitby Abbey.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Cut (Scalby Beck)</span> River in North Yorkshire, England

The Sea Cut (Scalby Beck) is a small river that enters the North Sea at Scalby Mills, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. The beck is fed from local streams in Scalby, Newby and Burniston and other watercourses draining off the nearby hills. It is also a bypass channel for the upper reaches of the River Derwent when it is under flood conditions.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grinkle Mine</span> Former ironstone mine in North Yorkshire, England

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References

  1. ↑ "Scaling Dam Reservoir". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "Water Supplies, Cleveland - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  3. ↑ Smith, Jonathan (2 March 2019). "Country walk: Beacon Hill and Scaling Reservoir" . York Press. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  4. ↑ Bagshaw, Mike (2010). Go slow Yorkshire dales & moors : local, characterful guides to Britain's special places. Chalfont St Peter: Bradt Travel Guides. p. 158. ISBN   978-1-84162-323-8.
  5. ↑ "Genuki: Easington, Yorkshire (North Riding)". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "History of Scaling Dam, in Redcar and Cleveland and North Riding | Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "Camden's Britannia eBook version". Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  8. ↑ "No. 43,731". The London Gazette . 6 August 1965. pp. 7, 464.
  9. ↑ "Water Resources Management Plan" (PDF). yorkshirewater.com. August 2014. p. 44. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  10. ↑ "Yorkshire Moors: Scaling Reservoir". www.yorkshiremoors.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  11. ↑ Parker 2006, p. 12.
  12. ↑ Fisher, Stuart (2019). Coastal Britain : England and Wales : celebrating the history, heritage and wildlife of Britain's shores. London: Bloomsbury. p. 26. ISBN   978-1-4729-5869-3.
  13. ↑ "Scaling Dam Reservoir Overview". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  14. ↑ "Northumbrian Water - Scaling Dam Reservoir". www.nwl.co.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  15. ↑ Moscariello, Martina (29 May 2019). "Thousands of pounds worth of equipment stolen in Scaling Dam Sailing Club break-in". The Scarborough News. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Fishing". northyorkmoorsnationalpark.org. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  17. ↑ Teale, Bill (22 August 2011). "Birdwatch: Success story for spectacular ospreys" . The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  18. ↑ Smart, Graeme (November 2012). "Nathusius' Pipistrelle – Natural History Society of Northumbria". nhsn.ncl.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  19. ↑ Beadle, Brian (18 January 2012). "Cycle ride: Runswick Bay, Staithes and Scaling Dam". Gazette & Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  20. ↑ Parker 2006, p. 13.
  21. ↑ "Scaling Dam Reservoir Walk" (PDF). nwl.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2019.

Sources

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