The Manchester Bury & Bolton Reservoir commonly called Elton Reservoir is a reservoir situated off the A58

A58 road

The A58 is a major road in northern England that runs between Prescot, Merseyside and Wetherby, West Yorkshire.It runs north east from Prescot on the outskirts of Liverpool via St Helens, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Hindley, Westhoughton, Bolton, Bury, Heywood, Rochdale and Littleborough then over the...

 Bolton Road, Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...

 about 3 km (1.8 mi) south west of the town of Bury

Bury

Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...

. Constructed in 1842 at the height of the canal era, it remains today as legacy of the industrial era and a major leisure facility for residents of Bury, Bolton

Bolton

Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...

 and North Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

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Description

The reservoir covers 226,000 sq m (56 acres) and contains some 1 million cubic metres (220 million imperial gallons). It is an important area for both resident and migrating water fowl, attracting many species throughout the year.

History

The reservoir was constructed and opened in 1842 as a feeder for the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal. The water was used to top up the canal as water was lost at the bottom end of the canal. Initially, water was to have been taken from the River Irwell

River Irwell

The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...

, however local mill owners objected citing a loss of water for their mills so the reservoir was constructed. Today water is still taken from the Irwell at Burrs Country Park

Burrs Country Park

Burrs Country Park covers a 36 hectare site located on the banks of the River Irwell, 1.5km north west of Bury, Greater Manchester. It was acquired by Bury Metroplolitan Borough Council in 1986 and transformed from a derelict industrial site into a modern country park...

 and taken by feeder channel to Elton Reservoir which in turn feeds the remains of the canal.

Leisure use

The reservoir has been used for leisure since the Elton Club was founded in 1858. This club was initially for 'Gentlemen and their sons' to engage in the pursuit of fishing. The club later became the Elton Sailing Club and since 1870, the club has carried out sailing activities. The reservoir is also used for sailing activities by local community groups, Greater Manchester Police

Greater Manchester Police

Greater Manchester Police is the police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England...

Sailing & Windsurfing

Windsurfing

Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...

 Section and the scouts. The reservoir is now an important fishery

Fishery

Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...

 in the north west of England managed by Bury Angling Association. The coarse fishery contains many species including, bream, pike, carp

Carp

Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...

, tench

Tench

The tench or doctor fish is a freshwater and brackish water fish of the cyprinid family found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also found in Lake Baikal...

 and roach

Rutilus

Rutilus is a genus of fishes in the family Cyprinidae, commonly called roaches. Locally, the name "roach" without any further qualifiers is also used for particular species, particularly the Common Roach Rutilus (Latin for "shining, red, golden, auburn") is a genus of fishes in the family...

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The National Cycle Route 6

National Cycle Network

The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...

passes alongside the reservoir. There is 6.5 km (4 ml) walking path around the reservoir which is described in the Bury Council book entitled "Walks Around Bury", Copies can be obtained at local libraries and Bury Tourist Information Centre or downloaded from the Bury MBC web site

External links

• National Cycle Route 6