Grimwith Reservoir, Hebden, North Yorkshire, England

Lakes are a rarity in the Yorkshire Dales thanks to the limestone that lies underneath all of the picturesque loveliness. In the wet, it can be a slippery rock in the wet as found out one day around Malham Cove; there was no calamity but I was persuaded to choose another course that avoided any chance of misfortune. There is another side to its character in that it allows for free draining land, which is why those dales are so peopled, and rivers can disappear into the depths below. Even though limestone is too porous to support natural lakes, you can find man-made reservoirs in places and Grimwith is one. The juxtaposition of traditional barns and stones with water seems odd but it is all the more interesting for that. You will find it just a stones throw away from the B6265 between Hebden and Pateley Bridge like I did one Saturday evening in July 2002. Now that I peer at this photo, I am inclined to wonder if I should revisit the area sometime.