Farmoor Reservoir is a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

Farmoor Farmoor is a village west of the centre of Oxford, England. The village was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The village is from Pinkhill Lock on the River Thames. Farmoor has ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, about 5 miles (8 km) outside the city of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. It is close to the east bank of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

. Like most of the reservoirs in the

Thames Valley The Thames Valley is an informally-defined sub-region of South East England, centred on the River Thames west of London, with Oxford as a major centre. Its boundaries vary with context. The area is a major tourist destination and economic hub, ...

, it was not formed by damming a valley. In this case the banks were raised above the local ground level using material excavated from within the bowl of the reservoir. The reservoir is split into Stage 1 (completed 1967, 4,544 million litres) and Stage 2 (completed 1976, 9,298 million litres). Among other locations, Farmoor supplies the large town of

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

, some 25 miles (40 km) to the southwest. The reservoir is filled from the River Thames. The reservoir is used for sports:

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

(especially fly-fishing for

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 The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

dinghy sailing Dinghy sailing is the activity of sailing small boats by using five essential controls: * the sails * the foils (i.e. the daggerboard or centreboard and rudder and sometimes lifting foils as found on the Moth) * the trim (forward/rear angle ...

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

and stand up paddle boarding. Oxford SUP Club (stand-up paddle boarding), Oxford Sailing Club and the Oxford Sail Training Trust are based there. The latter offers sailing, windsurfing and powerboat courses. There is also access for

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, ...

and

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults o ...

Birds of Farmoor Reservoir

File:Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) in flight.jpg, Black-headed gull Eurasian coot (fulica atra).jpg, Eurasian coot File:Great cormorant (phalacrocorax carbo).JPG, Great cormorant File:Greylag goose swimming (anser anser).jpg, Greylag goose File:Mute swans in flight.jpg, Mute swans File:Tufted duck (aythya fuligula).JPG, Tufted duck File:White wagtail (motacilla alba).jpg, White wagtail File:Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and 12 chicks.jpg, Mallard

References

External links

Oxford Sailing ClubOxford Sail Training
1967 establishments in England Reservoirs in Oxfordshire Sports venues in Oxfordshire RFarmoor Thames Water reservoirs {{England-sports-venue-stub