Reservoirs & lochs · South West England
Cheddar Reservoir
Cheddar Reservoir — reservoir in Somerset, England.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1 h–2.5 h
- Free entry
- Dog-friendly
About
Cheddar Reservoir is a reservoir in the United Kingdom. It covers approximately 105 km². Heritage designation: Site of Special Scientific Interest. Owned by Bristol Water. Wikidata describes it as: "reservoir in Somerset, England". Coordinates: 51.2806°, -2.8014°.
Photo gallery
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Cheddar Reservoir SSSI
- National Nature Reserve: MENDIP
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Mendip Hills
- Ramsar wetland: Severn Estuary
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Cheddar Reservoir is an artificial reservoir in Somerset, England, operated by Bristol Water. Dating from the 1930s it has a capacity of 135 million gallons (613,700 cubic metres). The reservoir is supplied with water taken from the Cheddar Yeo river in Cheddar Gorge. The inlet grate for the 54 inches (1.4 m) water pipe that is used to transport the water can be seen immediately upstream from the sensory garden in Cheddar Gorge. It lies to the west of the village of Cheddar and south east of the town of Axbridge. Because of this it is sometimes known as Axbridge Reservoir. It is roughly circular in shape, and surrounded by large earth banks which are grazed by sheep. A public footpath circles the perimeter of the reservoir, the length of a circuit being approximately 2.25 miles.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The reservoir was built by Sir Robert McAlpine and completed in 1937. It was the first British reservoir to permit sailing.
Description
The reservoir has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (Ref No:1003948) due to its wintering waterfowl populations. Two car parks give access to the reservoir; one is at the Axbridge end, and on the eastern side, accessible from Cheddar. Two water towers are present, one at the Cheddar end, and one at the Axbridge end. Bristol Corinthians sailing club is situated at its northern end. Other recreational activities at the reservoir include windsurfing, angling (for pike, tench, roach, perch and eels), and birdwatching.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.2806, -2.8014
- District
- Somerset
- Parish
- Cheddar
- Postcode
- BS27 3GE
- Parliamentary constituency
- Wells and Mendip Hills
Sources
- wikidata: Q5089194 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Cheddar Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Cheddarreservoir.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby
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Nearby
📷 5Towns & cities · South West England
Axbridge
Axbridge — town in Somerset, England.
Caravan parks · South West England
Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa
Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa — a caravan park in england south west.
📷 4Historic churches · South West England
Church of St John the Baptist, Axbridge
Church of St John the Baptist, Axbridge — Grade I listed building-listed church in england-south-west, United Kingdom.
📷 3Memorials & monuments · South West England
Axbridge War Memorial
Axbridge War Memorial — Grade II listed building-listed memorial in england-south-west, United Kingdom.
📷 3Museums · South West England
King John's Hunting Lodge;King John's Hunting Lodge (Axbridge Museum)
King John's Hunting Lodge;King John's Hunting Lodge (Axbridge Museum) — a museum in england-south-west, United Kingdom.
📷 3Historic houses · South West England
The Old Angel
The Old Angel — Grade II listed former public house in Axbridge, Sedgemoor, England, UK.
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Cheddar Reservoir?
- Cheddar Reservoir is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode BS27 3GE), in the parish of Cheddar.
- Who owns Cheddar Reservoir?
- Cheddar Reservoir is owned by Bristol Water.
- Is Cheddar Reservoir a listed building?
- Cheddar Reservoir is officially recognised as Site of Special Scientific Interest listed.
- Is Cheddar Reservoir a protected site?
- Yes — Cheddar Reservoir is part of the Cheddar Reservoir SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the MENDIP National Nature Reserve.
- How do I get to Cheddar Reservoir?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode BS27 3GE. It sits within the Wells and Mendip Hills parliamentary constituency.