Gladhouse Reservoir, formerly Moorfoot Loch, is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 in Midlothian

Midlothian

Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, five miles (8 km) south of Penicuik

Penicuik

Penicuik is a burgh and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. The town was developed as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik. It became a burgh in 1867. The town was well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed in 2005....

. It is the largest area of freshwater

Freshwater

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

 in the Lothians.

The 460 acres (1.9 km²) reservoir in the Moorfoot Hills

Moorfoot Hills

The Moorfoot Hills are a range of hills south of Edinburgh in east central Scotland, UK, one of the ranges which collectively form the Southern Uplands.The Hills run from Peebles, Scottish Borders, in a north easterly direction to Tynehead, Midlothian....

 is one of a group of reservoirs which supply Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 with water. It is fed by the River South Esk

River South Esk

The South Esk is a river in Angus, Scotland. It goes past Brechin and enters the North Sea at Montrose Basin. It was noted in the 19th century.-References:...

.

Gladhouse Reservoir is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest

Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...

 or SSSI, and a Special Protection Area

Special Protection Area

A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...

. It is an important roosting site for Anser brachyrhynchus, the Pink-footed Goose.

There are three islands in the reservoir.

See also

• Edgelaw Reservoir
  Edgelaw Reservoir
  Edgelaw Reservoir is an artificial reservoir in Midlothian, Scotland, UK, four miles west of Temple.-See also:*Gladhouse Reservoir*Glencorse Reservoir*North Esk Reservoir*Rosebery Reservoir*List of reservoirs and dams in the United Kingdom...
  
  
• Glencorse Reservoir
  Glencorse Reservoir
  Glencorse Reservoir is a reservoir in Midlothian, Scotland, UK, two miles west of Glencorse, in the Pentland Hills.It is retained by an earth dam, and it was built between 1820 and 1824 by James Jardine to provide water for the mills of Auchendinny, Milton Bridge and Glencorse, and to supply...
  
  
• List of reservoirs and dams in the United Kingdom

External links

• Ordnance Survey - Gladhouse Reservoir map
• Ordnance Survey - Gladhouse Reservoir, Temple Circuit walk
• Excavation of three long cists at Gladhouse Reservoir
• JNCC Information sheet on RAMSAR Wetlands
• Joint Nature Conservation Committee webpage on Gladhouse Reservoir
• Edinburgh council, Water Supply and Drinking Water Quality
• National Library of Scotland, Bathymetrical Survey of the Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland, 1897-1909
• Geograph photo 168875, Gladhouse Reservoir