Broadstone Reservoir

I wandered from the nature reserve towards the dam of the reservoir and was greeted by a colourful display of Goldfinches. Some of them were good enough to sit on a barbed wire fence within my camera range, which was nice of them. I've been to  Broadstone many times and always had the privilege of the company of Goldfinches in this particular corner of the reservoir. Officially there is not a public path around the reservoir. On my past visits a locked gate prevented access to the dam itself. For some reason the gate was missing and so I took a stroll across the dam. Occasionally a Curlew would make its way across the reservoir, with their mournful cries. Three Great Crested Grebes were diving for food just off the dam wall. A Pied Wagtail flitted along the dam wall, moving further away as I approached. There is another locked gate at the other side of the dam that prevents access to the south side of the reservoir. Regular visitors to the reservoir who carry out a circular walk around the reservoir just climb over the low fence and continue their walk. Depending how rebellious you are feeling you might try this or alternatively retrace your steps back over the dam and walk right around the reservoir to this very same spot. I wouldn't condone my actions, but I followed the precedent of all other walkers and climbed over the small fence. My transgression was not looked on favourably by the highest authority since, only a few moments later when continuing my walk, I stood in a humungous dog turd. I recommend keeping one eye on the birds and the other on the path at Broadstone Reservoir. You may end up looking like Marty Feldman but you will maintain a clean shoe.

A squadron of midges also announced their presence and there was no breeze to blow them off course from their attacking manoeuvres. Some Housemartins were making the most of this midge lunch at a nearby farm and out and the reservoirs some Swallows were swooping close to the water and hoovering up their insect feast. At the west end of the reservoir the path goes close to the water and through some small trees. Two young dogs ran up to me yapping and pawing at my legs. Their owner was laid down in a boggy area near to the water. At first I thought he might have had an accident, but he shouted his dogs back. It was a rather curious place to lay down in such a boggy, midge infested area. I moved on. 

Lower Maythorn

I left the reservoir and made my way along a bridleway to Lower Maythorn. There were some wonderfully coloured Wheatears along this path.  The south-eastwards view is dominated by the large wind turbines, although the propellers had stopped on such a still day. Just before reaching Lower Maythorn Lane I noticed a large elevated bird house in a field. There was a similar one in the nature reserve near Broadstone Reservoir.  They were so big I wondered for what bird they might have been built. Neither of them looked occupied.

On Lower Maythorn Lane, just before you turn off along Brown's Edge Road, there is a stone monument set back from the road. A stone wall encircles the monument with three mossy stone benches. It is so hidden away, it is surprisingly easy to miss. It is a Saxon cross (although, only the bottom of the plinth is the original) and has quite a story to it. The following is from an article published in the Independent in 2004:

After a feud lasting 150 years, involving theft, vandalism and municipal threats of legal action, two districts in Yorkshire reached an unusual settlement yesterday over a 1,000-year-old Saxon cross.

New Mill in West Yorkshire and Dunford in South Yorkshire have decided that the only way of resolving their differences over the 8ft-high Maythorne Cross is to split it. Dunford gets the ancient base; New Mill gets the rest.

It was erected as a boundary marker at a cross-roads between Cheshire and Wakefield. The dispute was sparked by Dr Henry Morehouse, a local historian and collector, in the 1850s. With the aid of a horse-drawn cart and several men, Dr Morehouse stole the cross from its ancient site near the hamlet of Victoria, in Dunford, added a new column and ball, and placed it in his own garden.

One of his descendants moved it four miles to the grave of his favourite horse, where he left it on a poorly laid foundation for decades. After it was vandalised in 1959, Kirklees council stepped in, restored the cross and gave it to the local civic society, which placed it outside the village library in 1984.

When the library closed the battle began again in earnest. After there was talk of the monument being removed, a local roofing contractor, Gerald Parker, recruited eight other men and launched a dawn raid in June 2000, claiming the cross belonged to his in-laws' ancestors. He dug it up, loaded it on a lorry and took it back to Victoria. The note he left behind said: "Gone home."

Kirklees council was unimpressed, issuing a legal threat to Mr Parker: "We request that you return the cross in a safe and unharmed condition."

Mr Parker held out for a settlement, keeping his new possession in a field.

And his local parish, Dunford, seems to have secured the most from yesterday's deal. Allen Pestell, a councillor, said: "It is like the Elgin Marbles being returned to Greece. Gerald did not act with our blessing and as a councillor I cannot condone taking the cross, but we cannot condemn him. If he hadn't snatched back the cross, we would never have seen it again in the parish." Mr Parker said: "We tried to tell New Mill they were in possession of stolen goods. When I heard it was going to be moved again I thought we could lose it for ever. We'll have to make sure the cross is firmly embedded this time. We don't want anybody stealing it again."

Clifford Lord, of the civic society in New Mill, said: "We were not happy about the way the cross was removed from New Mill. It's a bit of a farce, us just having the top half of the cross which is not original. But at least the arguing is over."

After such an exciting and distinguished career it is a little sad to see the cross (well, one half of it anyway) in its current residence. The stone benches are overgrown with moss and has an unkempt feeling; it is not really an area to sit down and eat your sandwiches. if you look over the stone wall of the enclosure you'll see a littered swampy woodland area. I'd prefer to see it in a more prominent position; say in the middle of a village green. There again, given the past ' dawn raids', maybe it is best that it is kept under the radar.

I watched some lambs in a field just across the road from the cross. They were so young that their umbilical chords were still attached. They looked rather groggy and I had a feeling they wondering what this life thing was all about.

I turned down Brown's Edge Road and was immediately attacked from both sides by Lapwings. One got so close that I could even see her tongue as she shrieked at me. Their nests were obviously close by in the fields. I moved quickly on. 

HDMAC

Halfway down Brown's Edge Road is a field where people fly model planes.  To give the organisation its full name, it is the Huddersfield And District Model Aircraft Club. A walk in the area will involve hearing the whines from the planes, but also provide some entertainment as you watch the planes dive and swoop. On a few occasions I've seen them have an Airshow Day where they have loud speaker commentary on flying displays from different aircraft. I'm sure I've even seen some military re-enactments. Once, I even saw a jet powered model plane. I didn't even realised they existed. I remember it making a helluva noise and moving rather fast.

I'd seen and heard club members flying their planes when I'd been walking around Broadstone Reservoir earlier, but it was all quiet as I walked by the club's entrance. It looked like the members were involved in some maintenance.

I sometimes have seen hares in the fields around Brown's Edge Road but they were all hidden today. I turned up Broadstone Road and made my way back to my car. It had been a splendid walk. The rain had held off and when I looked back at my photos I was amazed at the variety of birds I had seen on such a short walk.