Walk Summary
Delightful, shortish walk around the Broomhead and More Hall reservoirs. The majority of it is in woodland and so is ideal on rainy or very hot days. Plenty of opportunity to spot wildlife on the reservoir and the surrounding woodland.
Click on the above map for an interactive map of the route.
The Trails Map (dropdown, top right) is the best free map for displaying footpaths and topography. Expand to full screen (cross arrows, top right) to see route detail. Ordnance Survey maps can be used with a small subscription to Plotaroute.
Clicking on the above map gives access to various downloads (e.g. GPX and PDF).
Date: 12/08/2022
Length: 6.963 miles
Height Gain: 197 m
Terrain: Woodland trails (some of them boggy), grass fields, lightly used roads.
Navagation: Good. The path is obvious around the reservoirs.
Start: Broomhead Hall (Roadside Parking)
Route: Broomhead Hall (Roadside Parking), Wigtwizzle Wood, Broomhead Reservoir, Ewden Village, More Hall Reservoir, Broomhead Reservoir, Wigtwizzle Wood, Broomhead Hall.
Map: OL1 Dark Peak Area
Weather: Sunny. A scorcher.
Walkers: Nun
Gallery
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Sleeping Barn Owl
Captain's Log
It's A Scorcher
I stepped out of the car straight into the path of a bird watcher who was just setting off on his walk. We started chatting and he asked me if I'd seen the Pied Flycatchers around here. I said I hadn't. He said, 'Well, there's one up on that branch'. I looked up, and sure enough, there was one. He was going for a walk up on to Upper Commons . He showed me on his phone a list of birds his friend had recently seen there. Kites, buzzards, merlins...the list was endless. It did cross my mind to follow him, since he was obviously a professional spotter. Upper Commons is a trackless heathery moor though, and difficult walking. There was currently an Amber heat warning from the Met Office. My planned route was mostly under the canopy of trees. I decided to stick with Plan A.
Descending from Broomhead Hall I came across some sheep resting in the shade of some trees. I needed to get to the metal gate on the other side of them and I felt a bit guilty as they all had to get up and shift into the sun. I proceeded and the metal gate crashed behind me. At that point I looked along the nearby fence, and about 10 metres from the gate, I spotted a Barn Owl asleep on a wooden post. I was amazed it had not been disturbed by the noise of the sheep and the clanking of the gate. I moved further away so that I would not wake him up and watched him for a few minutes. He was obviously in a deep sleep. He was certainly sleeping better than I do in this heat. Eventually I left him to his dreams and I headed off towards Broomhead Reservoir.
The morning was really warming up now. The day was going to be a scorcher. I'm glad I'd stuck to my original plan to walk in woodland, and not decided to walk off into the desert of the moorland.
Shade Seeking Sheep
Empty Reservoirs
The Broomhead Reservoir water level was way down. I bravely ventured out on to the baked hard mud away from the protection of the shade of the trees. I could see some Canada Geese in the far distance at the water's edge. Water restrictions were scheduled to be implemented by Yorkshire Water in a couple of weeks time. Looking at this, it seems obvious that it was needed. I walked back to the woods at the edge of the reservoirs. I could see several places where people had had recent fires. It seemed crazy so close to woodland and so far away from the water.
I pottered along the track alongside Broomhead Reservoir. There didn't seem to be much bird call about. Maybe they were just having a rest in the heat. The view of the reservoir is mostly blocked by trees and so occasionally I'd make my way down to the baked mud of the reservoir to get a view. I could see some people taking advantage of the low water and just walking along the baked mud of the reservoir. It felt too hot for me and so I retreated to the trees.
The track turns into a tarmac road after Broomhead's dam. Further along the road I came across a man feeding a loaf of white bread to some ducks and geese. The RSPB view on this is that bread can leave ducks and geese full without giving them the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that they need. Sweetcorn, peas, oats and bird seed are a much better food for them. Good advice, although it does make you wonder why humans eat white bread if it is so nutritionally poor.
Broomhead Tree
Broomhead Reservoir...What Is Left Of It
More Hall
As I walked across the More Hall dam I saw a couple of Magpies going for a swim in the reservoir. It was a fully immersive experience for them. When they came out they looked quite bedraggled and they jumped up and down to shake the water off their feathers. It didn't take them long to dry out.
The water level was also down in the More Hall reservoir. It all looked a little desperate. The Cormorants and Grebes that normally frequent the reservoir had moved on to pastures new. A young couple had setup a picnic near to the waters edge. Under normal times, the water level would have been above their heads.
A couple of Herons had not deserted the place though. I could see them fishing near the tail end of the reservoir. I made my way back to the Broomhead Reservoir and started walking along its side. Before reaching the end I diverted off so that I could visit the bird feeders in Wigtwizzle wood. The area was overgrown when I got there and the feeders were empty. I waited a while but the birds had obviously found food elsewhere.
I was half expecting the Barn Owl to be sleeping on his post when I returned to Broomhead Hall, but the area was empty of birds and sheep too. The sheep had moved on to positions in the shade of the large trees in the field.
I looked for more Pied Flycatchers when I got back to the car, but they'd disappeared too. This had been a great walk, and in the relative coolness of the trees, it was a good one to do when the day is a scorcher.
Magpie That Had Just Been For A Swim