Catcleugh Reservoir is a reservoir in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, adjacent to the

A68 road The A68 is a major road in the United Kingdom, running from Darlington in England to the A720 in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It crosses the Anglo-Scottish border at Carter Bar and is the only road to do so for some distance either way ...

just north of Byrness and to the southeast of the border with

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It has a surface area of 98.654 ha and a mean depth of 9.8 m, a catchment area of 4007.5 ha, and is situated at 247 m altitude.

History

The reservoir was constructed between 1884 and 1905Archeology in Northumberland
for the Newcastle and Gateshead Water Company. The reservoir forms part of a series of reservoirs along the A68, which are connected by

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

s and aqueducts from Catcleugh Reservoir to

Whittle Dene Whittle Dene is west of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, straddling the B6318 Military Road, and is a complex of reservoirs and treatment works forming the last stage in the supply of drinking water to Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. History A ...

; from where

drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...

is supplied to

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

, and some surrounding areas. The reservoirs that form the chain are, from northwest to southeast: Catcleugh Reservoir →

Colt Crag Reservoir Colt Crag Reservoir is a relatively shallow reservoir in Northumberland, England adjacent to the A68 road, and north of Corbridge. The A68 road at this point runs along the course of Dere Street, a Roman road. History The reservoir was built ...

→

Little Swinburne Reservoir Little Swinburne Reservoir is a small reservoir in Northumberland, England less than northeast of the A68 road, and about north of Corbridge. The A68 road generally follows the course of Dere Street, a Roman road, but has deviated at this point ...

→

Hallington Reservoirs Hallington Reservoirs are located near the small village of Colwell, Northumberland, England on the B6342 road off the A68 road, and north of Corbridge. Hallington is actually two small reservoirs: Hallington Reservoir West and Hallington Re ...

→

. The reservoir is fed by the

River Rede The Rede is a river in Northumberland, England. The river rises on Carter Fell on the Anglo-Scottish border feeding Catcleugh Reservoir and joins the River North Tyne below the village of Redesmouth. The Rede is one of only two rivers in the ...

. The

steam shovel A steam shovel is a large steam engine, steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as Rock (geology), rock and soil. It is the earliest type of power shovel or excavator. Steam shovels played a major role in ...

was a large factor in building this reservoir as it could easily do the work of many men.

Flora and fauna

Catcleugh Reservoir has been designated as a Local Wildlife Site, and is surrounded by a mixture of native and conifer woodlands. The surrounding moorland is a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

because of the mosaic of heather and upland grassland. The higher moorland is home to breeding

golden plover '' Pluvialis '' is a genus of plovers, a group of wading birds comprising four species that breed in the temperate or Arctic Northern Hemisphere. In breeding plumage, they all have largely black underparts, and golden or silvery upperparts. The ...

and

dunlin The dunlin (''Calidris alpina'') is a small wader in the genus '' Calidris''. The English name is a dialect form of "dunling", first recorded in 1531–1532. It derives from ''dun'', "dull brown", with the suffix ''-ling'', meaning a person or ...

Osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...

are known to have used this site for roosting; buzzards are regular visitors, and there are occasional records of

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

. A variety of mammals occur here including

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been ...

badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...

, roe deer, and bat. Red squirrels live in the conifer plantations around the reservoir where mature trees provide a good supply of seeds. The young and mature conifer plantations are also good habitat for roe deer whilst the network of watercourses provides excellent habitat for the otter.

References

Drinking water reservoirs in England Reservoirs in Northumberland Rochester, Northumberland {{Northumberland-geo-stub