The Secret Beach

A day off work. At 9 am the sky was blue and the sun was shining.

By the time I was out of the door it was turning cloudy. I headed out over the moors - Scammonden, Buckstones Edge and down to Hollingworth Lake. By the time I arrived at the visitor centre cafe it was starting to snow. Even the birds were nowhere to be seen.

I headed over to Gordon Rigg's garden centre at Walsden to buy some bird food for Harriet's Rainbow group - they are making fat balls tonight in advance of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

I then drove over to Lumbutts to try and find the "Secret Beach". Lumbutts, Walsden and Todmorden are in the sort of grey area where identity crises are common. Historically some of these places were in Lancashire but are now in West Yorkshire.

The secret beach is at Gaddings Dam which is  1,200 feet in the hills above Lumbutts. It's a disused reservoir accessible only on foot. High and exposed, the water is used by outdoor swimmers, open water competitors, triathletes and channel swimmers. Until recently it was known only to locals but last year it figured in the Sunday Times "Secret Beaches" article so it now gets pretty busy in summer. Today in the freezing cold and wind it was virtually deserted.

Gaddings is always cold and windy and the altitude, remoteness, and lack of vehicle access puts it well into the 'wild' category of swimming venues. The atmosphere resembles a mountain tarn with an extra bleakness from the dark rocks and the grey clouds not far overhead.

It's was a steep pull up the path against a strong headwind with a rucksack and tripod. The path, resembled a mud bath and in other places a mountain stream. The distance is about twice as far and high as it looks from the road. The Gaddings Dam Website claims that it can be done by a "fell runner 4 mins, fit walker 12 mins, average slob 30 mins plus gasping breaks".

At the top I met  Gary and Ross and I also had a interesting chat with Eric who is a local takes pride in tending the area.  

A quick call in Hebden Bridge on the way back.

More photos here