Catcleugh Reservoir is a reservoir in Northumberland, England adjacent to the A68 road; just north of

Byrness Byrness is a village within Rochester civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is approximately north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne on the A68, and is the last village in England before the A68 climbs the Cheviot Hills to cross Carter Bar int ...

; and to the south of the border with

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

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 passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

s and

aqueduct Aqueduct may refer to: Structures *Aqueduct (bridge), a bridge to convey water over an obstacle, such as a ravine or valley *Navigable aqueduct, or water bridge, a structure to carry navigable waterway canals over other rivers, valleys, railw ...

s from Catcleugh Reservoir to

Whittle Dene Whittle may refer to: Crafts *Whittling, the carving of wood with a knife People * Whittle (name), a surname, and a list of people with the name Places * Whittle, Kentucky * Whittle, Derbyshire, a hamlet near Glossop, Derbyshire, United Kingdom ...

; from where

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...

is supplied to

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is a ...

, Gateshead, 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 a ...

→

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 poi ...

→

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 Res ...

→

. 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-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving material such as rock and soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, a ...

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 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. Th ...

and

dunlin The dunlin (''Calidris alpina'') is a small wader, formerly sometimes separated with the other "stints" in the genus ''Erolia''. The English name is a dialect form of "dunling", first recorded in 1531–1532. It derives from ''dun'', "dull brown ...

Osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called 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 across the wings. It is brown o ...

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 birds ...

. A variety of mammals occur here including otter,

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus '' Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united ...

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

, 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