Clatworthy Reservoir is situated near Clatworthy in the

Brendon Hills The Brendon Hills are a range of hills in west Somerset, England. The hills merge level into the eastern side of Exmoor and are included within the Exmoor National Park. The highest point of the range is Lype Hill at above sea level with a secon ...

on the edge of the

Exmoor National Park Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath. ...

in west

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. It is run by

Wessex Water Wessex Water Services Limited, known as Wessex Water, is a water supply and sewerage utility company serving an area of South West England, covering 10,000 square kilometres including Bristol, most of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire and parts o ...

and has a capacity of , supplying some 200,000 homes. It impounds the head waters of the

River Tone The River Tone is a river in the English county of Somerset. The river is about long. Its source is at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills, and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir. The reservoir outfall continues throu ...

and the surrounding area is used for walking and fishing. Clatworthy Camp, an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

is situated on a promontory above Clatworthy Reservoir. It is roughly triangular in shape with an area of 5.8 hectares. It has a single bank and ditch, cut through solid rock. There may have been an entrance on the west and two on the east. The ancient settlement of Syndercombe was flooded on the creation of the reservoir. In the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

of 1086 the manor of Syndercombe is recorded as held by

Turstin FitzRolf Turstin fitz Rolf, also known as Turstin le Blanc and Tustein fitz Rou (Old Norse: ''Þorsteinn Hrólfsson'') played a prominent role in the Norman conquest of England and is regarded as one of the few proven companions of William the Conqueror ...

Recreation

Angling

There are seven water inlets at Clatworthy which are all described as hot spots for fishermen, but generally the south bank is considered to be the best area. Clatworthy offers top of the water fishing with nymphs or dry flies or, at the deep areas, with sinking lines and flashing lures.

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

and brown trout are commonly caught from the banks or from a boat and the lake is well stocked. Some areas of the bank are very steep or wooded and difficult to access.

Walking

Clatworthy reservoir offers the chance to stroll at leisure through a short nature trail or, for the more adventurous, it is possible to walk the entire reservoir perimeter of five miles (8 km). There is ample parking and public toilets at the viewing area which is signposted from

Wiveliscombe Wiveliscombe (, ) is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The town has a population of 2,893. The Square, fronted by several listed structures, held the former ...

. From the viewing area visitors can take the perimeter walk - allow 2½ to 3 hours to complete this walk. The car park is open throughout the year, but is locked at sunset.

Wildlife

Clatworthy reservoir features a range of habitats including acid grassland, Fox glove, broadleaf woodlands and scrub leading to marshy areas around the inlet streams. Clatworthy woodland is mainly beech with

sessile oak ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Cornish oak, Irish Oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unofficial embl ...

silver birch ''Betula pendula'', commonly known as silver birch, warty birch, European white birch, or East Asian white birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia, though in southern Europe, it is only found ...

and rowan. The site is home to a range of passage and woodland birds as well as geese, grebes and swans.

Red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of we ...

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

and

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

s are often seen in the woods.

References

External links

Everything Exmoor
website {{authority control Drinking water reservoirs in England Reservoirs in Somerset