Reservoir Ramble

All week rain has been in the forecast, so our ramble leader chose an easy walk near Fewston where there are packed dirt trails and lots of cover. As it turned out the weather was fine, even warm and sunny near the end of our 5+ mile hike. The village of Fewston sits in the middle of two large reservoirs, Swinsty and Fewton, and we walked round both of them. The huge reservoirs, lined with pine trees, resembled placid lakes in the Swiss Alps, making it hard to believe we were in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Along the way we passed a couple of grand mansions, one of which had at one time belonged to the Yorkshire water works but is now in private hands. Another was Swinsty Hall, said to be haunted by the man who built the mansion from proceeds gained by robbing the dead. The well-marked path around the reservoirs clung close to the water. We passed several anglers testing their skills. In the woods to the other side of the path were some of the season's early blue bells, a spring flower held in as much reverence here in Yorkshire as the cherry blossoms are in Japan. Next week we are promised a bluebell walk in Ilkley.