Clatworthy Reservoir is situated near Clatworthy

Clatworthy

Clatworthy is a village and civil parish in the West Somerset District of Somerset, England. It is situated from Wellington and four miles from Wiveliscombe on the southern slopes of the Brendon Hills and close to the Exmoor National Park....

 in the Brendon Hills

Brendon Hills

The Brendon Hills are composed of a lofty ridge of hills in the East Lyn Valley area of western Somerset, England. The terrain is broken by a series of deeply incised streams and rivers running roughly southwards to meet the River Haddeo, a tributary of the River Exe.The hills are quite heavily...

 on the edge of the Exmoor National Park

Exmoor

Exmoor is an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England, named after the main river that flows out of the district, the River Exe. The moor has given its name to a National Park, which includes the Brendon Hills, the East Lyn Valley, the Vale of Porlock and ...

 in west Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, England. It is run by Wessex Water

Wessex Water

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

 and has a capacity of 5364000 cubic metres (1,179,915,047.9 imp gal) , supplying some 200,000 homes. It impounds the head waters of the River Tone

River Tone

The River Tone is a river in Somerset, England, which is about long. It rises at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills, and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir. The reservoir outfall continues through Taunton and Curry and Hay Moors, which are designated as a Site of Special...

 and the surrounding area is used for walking and fishing.

Clatworthy Camp

Clatworthy Camp

Clatworthy Camp is an Iron Age hill fort North West of Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument....

, an Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

 hill fort

Hill fort

A hill fort is a type of earthworks 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 and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...

 is situated on a promentary 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

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

 of 1086 the manor of Syndercombe is recorded as held by Turstin FitzRolf

Turstin FitzRolf

Turstin FitzRolf was a Norman magnate, one of the few "Proven Companions of William the Conqueror" who fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. As his name indicates, he was the son of a certain Rolf, synonymous with Rou and Rollo . His first name appears as Tosteins, Thurstan and other variants...

.

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

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

 and brown trout

Brown trout

The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....

 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

Wiveliscombe is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The town has a population of 2,670. The parish includes the nearby hamlet of Maundown.-History:...

. 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, broadleaf woodlands and scrub leading to marshy areas around the inlet streams. Clatworthy woodland is mainly beech

Beech

Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...

 with sessile oaks

Sessile Oak

Quercus petraea , the Sessile Oak, also known as the Durmast Oak, is a species of oak native to most of Europe, and into Anatolia.-Description:...

, silver birch

Silver Birch

Betula pendula is a widespread European birch, though in southern Europe it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey and the Caucasus...

 and rowan

Rowan

The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...

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

Red Deer

The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...

, roe deer

Roe Deer

The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...

 and badgers

Badger

Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...

are often seen in the woods.

External links

• Everything Exmoor website