Читать книгу Great Mountain Days in the Pennines. 50 classic hillwalking routes онлайн

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The diversity of wildlife and plantlife is quite remarkable. Spring gentian grows here, the only place in England, while the country’s largest juniper woodland is here, too, in great abundance near High Force (see ssss1), but also growing alongside the River Tees in a few places. An early morning visit is necessary to spot the black grouse, but at any other time there is a wealth of birdlife – skylark, lapwing, curlew, snipe, red grouse, redshank, common sandpiper, dipper, golden plover, pied and yellow wagtails, and ring ouzel – all of which tends to contribute to slow progress.

The River Tees below Falcon Clints

The ongoing track (surfaced) speeds on towards the dam of the reservoir.

Cow Green Reservoir is 3km (2 miles) long and was built between 1967 and 1971 to supply the industries of Teesside. The reservoir acts as a river regulation reservoir, releasing water into the River Tees during dry conditions so that it can be abstracted further downstream.

The reservoir, which rests against a backdrop of Dufton Fell and, further to the north-west, Cross Fell and the two Dun Fells, lies within the North Pennines AONB and European Geopark. The AONB was designated in 1988, and it became Britain’s first European Geopark in 2004.