Hopes Reservoir is a small

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 ...

East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

, Scotland, in the

Lammermuir Hills The Lammermuirs are a range of hills in southern Scotland, forming a natural boundary between East Lothian and the Borders. The name "Lammermuir" comes from the Old English ''lambra mōr'', meaning "moorland of the lambs". Geology The Lammer ...

. It is located in the parish of Yester, south of the village of Gifford and east of the hill Lammer Law. It is fed by the Hopes Water which flows northwards from the reservoir to join the Coulston Water, a tributary of the

River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...

, southeast of Gifford. The reservoir was opened in 1933 and the embankment that dams the Hopes Water was created using the rubble of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Calton Jail Calton may refer to: Places: *Calton, Glasgow, Scotland **Calton (ward), an electoral ward of the Glasgow City Council *Calton, North Yorkshire, England *Calton, Ontario, Canada *Calton, Staffordshire, England *Calton Hill Calton Hill () is ...

, which was demolished in 1930 to make way for

St Andrews House St. Andrew's House (SAH), on the southern flank of Calton Hill in central Edinburgh, is the headquarters building of the Scottish Government. The building stands on the site of the former Calton Gaol. Today, the turreted Governor's House is a ...

. The reservoir is a drinking water supply reservoir operated by

Scottish Water Scottish Water is a statutory corporation that provides water and sewerage services across Scotland. It is accountable to the public through the Scottish Government. Operations Scottish Water provides drinking water to 2.46 million households ...

. The reservoir is stocked with

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 ...

(''Salmo trutta''), in 1957 the East Lothian Angling Association gifted the Water Board (predecessor of Scottish Water) trout fry to stock the Reservoir. and the moorland surrounding the reservoir has

red grouse The red grouse (''Lagopus lagopus scotica'') is a medium-sized bird of the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland. It is usually classified as a subspecies of the willow ptarmigan but is sometimes consider ...

(''Lagopus lagopus scoticus''). In 2020 a white-tailed eagle released on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

the previous year spent much of the summer in East Lothian including around Hopes Reservoir.

Parking controversy

In 2023 East Lothian Council granted retrospective planning permission, despite objections from residents, for the neighbouring estate, Moorfoot Estates Ltd, to charge for parking. The estate claimed that they had to deal with anti-social behaviour from visitors to the reservoir. Permits for parking can be purchased in Gifford. However, Scottish Water allows the public to use their car park at no charge.

References

{{Reflist

Parking controversy

References

See also