List of lakes and tarns in North Yorkshire

This is a list of lakes and tarns in North Yorkshire, England. Unlike the nearby Lake District, North Yorkshire does not have many natural lakes due to the porosity of the limestone underneath the surface.[1][2] The JNCC Special Area of Conservation status for the Craven Limestone Complex lists running and standing Water at only 1%.[3] Upland tarns are common where the underlying stone allows the water to collect. These tarns are usually surrounded by peat, so most have relatively acidic water in comparison to the alkaline nature of water which runs over Limestone common in the area.[4]

Summer Lodge Tarn

Man-made reservoirs and dams, such as at Moss Dam in Swaledale, are not included, as the list focuses only on natural lakes and tarns.[5] The list only covers those within Yorkshire, and sites such as Sunbiggin Tarn, whilst in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, are not included, as that body of water is in the county of Cumbria. Some tarns or lakes may no longer exist; historical documents refer to Giggleswick and Wigglesworth as having tarns - however, these have either dried up or have been drained.[6]

List

edit
List of lakes and tarns in North Yorkshire
Name Location Coordinates Height AMSL Volume Notes Ref
Birkdale Tarn Keld 54°24′40″N 2°13′44″W / 54.411°N 2.229°W / 54.411; -2.229 1,598 feet (487 m) 11,900,000 cubic feet (336,000 m3) [7][8]
Birks Tarn Birks Fell 54°10′44″N 2°07′12″W / 54.179°N 2.120°W / 54.179; -2.120 1,959 feet (597 m) 2,960,400 cubic feet (83,828 m3) In the 1890s, Birks Tarn was described as being "two sheets of water", but would become one big body of water in heavy rains. [9][10]
Cotter End Tarn Cotterdale 54°20′17″N 2°16′48″W / 54.338°N 2.280°W / 54.338; -2.280 1,696 feet (517 m) [11]
Cray Tarn Oughtershaw 54°13′34″N 2°07′16″W / 54.226°N 2.121°W / 54.226; -2.121 1,962 feet (598 m) [12]
Eshton Tarn Bell Busk 54°00′52″N 2°07′37″W / 54.0145°N 2.127°W / 54.0145; -2.127 472 feet (144 m) 1,519,100 cubic feet (43,015 m3) [13]
Fleet Moss Tarn Fleet Moss 54°14′49″N 2°11′38″W / 54.247°N 2.194°W / 54.247; -2.194 1,896 feet (578 m) [14]
Fountains Fell Tarn Fountains Fell 54°08′13″N 2°12′07″W / 54.137°N 2.202°W / 54.137; -2.202 2,116 feet (645 m) 3,000,000 cubic feet (86,000 m3) [15]
Gallaber Pond (Flash) Hellifield 54°00′40″N 2°14′17″W / 54.011°N 2.238°W / 54.011; -2.238 490 feet (150 m) The flash lake is sandwiched between the A65 road and the railway line north of Hellifield railway station. It does not appear on mapping from the early 1900s and is listed as a flash lake. [16]
Gormire Lake Sutton Bank 54°14′31″N 1°13′44″W / 54.242°N 1.229°W / 54.242; -1.229 509 feet (155 m) 5,500,000 cubic feet (155,000 m3) Gormire has no major inflow, or outflow of water, and is thought to be fed by natural springs. [17][18][19]
Greensett Moss Ribblehead 54°14′02″N 2°23′42″W / 54.234°N 2.395°W / 54.234; -2.395 584 metres (1,916 ft) 48,836 cubic metres (1,724,600 cu ft) [20][21]
Hunters Hole Oughtershaw 54°13′37″N 2°07′55″W / 54.227°N 2.132°W / 54.227; -2.132 2,057 feet (627 m) [22]
Locker Tarn Carperby 54°19′12″N 1°59′49″W / 54.320°N 1.997°W / 54.320; -1.997 1,086 feet (331 m) 2,509,900 cubic feet (71,073 m3) [23][8]
Malham Tarn Malhamdale 54°05′49″N 2°09′47″W / 54.097°N 2.163°W / 54.097; -2.163 1,230 feet (375 m) 55,066,300 cubic feet (1,559,303 m3) [24]
Middle Tongue Tarn Oughtershaw 54°13′59″N 2°08′31″W / 54.233°N 2.142°W / 54.233; -2.142 2,047 feet (624 m) The name derives from the fact that its straddles "the tongue [of land] of two valleys" [25][26][27]
Newhouses Tarn Horton-in-Ribblesdale 54°10′08″N 2°18′29″W / 54.169°N 2.308°W / 54.169; -2.308 814 feet (248 m) 2,340,000 cubic feet (66,261 m3) Adjacent to the River Ribble. Listed on the lakes portal as "Unnamed Water Body ID 29701" and on OS Mapping as The Tarn. One book source from 1921 describes a tarn "1.5 miles (2.4 km)" north of Horton-in-Ribblesdale as "Newhouses Tarn", named after the nearest hamlet. [28][29]
Oughtershaw Tarn Oughtershaw 54°14′02″N 2°10′52″W / 54.234°N 2.181°W / 54.234; -2.181 1,824 feet (556 m) [30]
Priest's Tarn Grassington 54°07′16″N 1°57′32″W / 54.121°N 1.959°W / 54.121; -1.959 1,691 feet (515.5 m) [31][32]
Scarborough Mere Scarborough 54°15′40″N 0°24′43″W / 54.261°N 0.412°W / 54.261; -0.412 141 feet (43 m) 9,895,300 cubic feet (280,205 m3) [33]
Semerwater Countersett 54°16′48″N 2°07′26″W / 54.280°N 2.124°W / 54.280; -2.124 807 feet (246 m) 35,327,800 cubic feet (1,000,372 m3) [34]
Slatepit Moss Ravenseat Moor 54°26′17″N 2°13′16″W / 54.438°N 2.221°W / 54.438; -2.221 1,877 feet (572 m) [35]
South Grain Tarn Oughtershaw 54°13′52″N 2°06′47″W / 54.231°N 2.113°W / 54.231; -2.113 1,926 feet (587 m) [36]
Summer Lodge Tarn Crackpot 54°21′00″N 2°04′41″W / 54.350°N 2.078°W / 54.350; -2.078 1,722 feet (525 m) 4,229,000 cubic feet (119,760 m3) [37][38][8]
Whitaside Tarn Crackpot 54°21′04″N 2°02′10″W / 54.351°N 2.036°W / 54.351; -2.036 1,732 feet (528 m) [39]
Widdale Little Tarn[note 1] Widdale Fell 54°17′17″N 2°19′05″W / 54.288°N 2.318°W / 54.288; -2.318 2,090 feet (637 m) [41][42]

Notes

edit
  1. ^ The county boundary between North Yorkshire and Cumbria runs through the middle of this tarn. Great Widdale Tarn, which is adjacent, is completely within Cumbria. Before the boundary changes of 1974, both tarns were in the West Riding of Yorkshire.[40]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Lakes and tarns". Yorkshire Dales National Park. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Freshwater". Yorkshire Dales National Park. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Craven Limestone Complex - Special Areas of Conservation". sac.jncc.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  4. ^ Gilbert, Oliver; Goldie, Helen; Hodgson, David; Marker, Margaret; Pentecost, Allan; Proctor, Michael; Richardson, Douglas (2006). The ecology of Cowside Beck : a tributary of the river Skirfare in the Malham area of Yorkshire. Settle: FSC. p. 32. ISBN 1851532188.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Moss Dam (1015856)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  6. ^ Speight 1892, pp. 70, 376.
  7. ^ "Birkdale Tarn Water Body ID 29250". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Gribble 1962, p. 65.
  9. ^ "BIRKS TARN, CRAVEN (BD23 5JD)". getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Birks Tarn Water Body ID 29665". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Cotter End Tarn Water Body ID 29396". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Cray Tarn Water Body ID 29576". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Eshton Tarn Water Body ID 30020". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Fleet Moss Tarn Water Body ID 29540". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  15. ^ Woof, C; Jackson, E (1988). "Some aspects of the water chemistry in the area around Malham Tarn, North Yorkshire". Fields Studies Journal. 7 (1). Shrewsbury: FSC: 161. ISSN 0428-304X.
  16. ^ Mason, Viv (25 September 2020). "Dismay as Hellifield flashes legal report favours developer". Craven Herald. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Gormire Lake". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  18. ^ Newton, Grace (24 July 2019). "Gormire Lake: The Yorkshire lake shrouded in myths and mystery". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Gormire Lake". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Unnamed Water Body ID 29558". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Greensett Moss". OS GetOutside. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Hunters Hole Water Body ID 29575". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Locker Tarn Water Body ID 29429". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Malham Tarn Water Body ID 29844". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  25. ^ "Middle Tongue Tarn Water Body ID 29572". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Middle Tongue Tarn, Craven". getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Middle Tongue :: Survey of English Place-Names". epns.nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Unnamed Water Body ID 29701". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  29. ^ Hobson, Bernard (1921). The West Riding of Yorkshire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 22. OCLC 187101920.
  30. ^ "Oughtershaw Tarn Water Body ID 29561". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  31. ^ "Priest's Tarn, Craven". getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  32. ^ "Priests Tarn Water Body ID 29804". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  33. ^ "The Mere Water Body ID 29493". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  34. ^ "Semer Water Water Body ID 29479". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  35. ^ "Slatepit Moss Water Body ID 29214". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  36. ^ "South Grain Tarn Water Body ID 29568". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  37. ^ "Summer Lodge Tarn Water Body ID 29379". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  38. ^ "Summer Lodge Tarn". getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  39. ^ "Whitaside Tarn Water Body ID 29378". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  40. ^ Chrystal, Paul (2017). The Place Names of Yorkshire; Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers and Dales, some Pubs too, in Praise of Yorkshire Ales (1 ed.). Catrine: Stenlake. p. 100. ISBN 9781840337532.
  41. ^ Lennie 2005, p. 74.
  42. ^ "Widdale Little Tarn Water Body ID 29473". eip.ceh.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2021.

Sources

edit
  • Gribble, F. C. (March 1962). "Census of Black-headed Gull colonies in England and Wales, 1958". Bird Study. 9 (1). doi:10.1080/00063656209476012.
  • Lennie, Stuart (2005). The roof of Wensleydale : a portrait of Wensleydale's two thousand foot fells. Kirkby Stephen: Hayloft. ISBN 1-904524-30-3.
  • Speight, Harry (1892). The Craven and North-West Yorkshire Highlands. London: E Stock. OCLC 7219082.