Birds, Beasts and Butterflies at Tittesworth

About trip

Tittesworth Reservoir and dam were built in 1858 to collect water from the River Churnet and provide a reliable water supply to Leek’s thriving textile and cloth-dying industry. By 1963 work to increase its size had been completed and local farmland was flooded to create a reservoir capable of supplying drinking water to Stoke-on-Trent and surrounding areas. With a capacity of 6.5 billion gallons (29.5 billion litres), when full it can supply 10 million gallons (45 million litres) of water every day. Habitat for wildlife. The land around the reservoir provides a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and many creatures can be seen in the course of this walk. Look out for brown hares in the fields near the car park. You can tell them from rabbits by their very long legs, black-tipped ears and a triangular black and light brown tail. Otters were once hunted almost to extinction by dogs and although the sport is now illegal their numbers remain low. They are nocturnal creatures and not often seen, but look out for their droppings by the water’s edge and the tell-tale prints of their webbed feet and wavy line tail prints in the sand and soft mud. Look also for holes in the banks along the River Churnet, where it enters the reservoir. Although he’s a difficult little creature to spot, a hole may just be the entrance to a vole burrow and home to a water vole like Ratty from The Wind in the Willows Bats and birds: Europe’s smallest bat, the pipistrelle suffered a severe decline in numbers in the last decades of the 20th century due to loss of hunting habitats like hedges, ponds and grassland. Pond restoration near Churnet Bay is encouraging their return and they can best be seen here near dusk, flying at an incredible speed, twisting and turning as they dive to gobble caddisflies,moths and gnats. Bird life around the reservoir is also abundant and there are two bird hides from which visitors can observe in comfort. Look out particularly for skylarks, small birds with a high-pitched continuous warble, that nest in the meadows around Tittesworth. The song thrush, another bird that has been in decline, also finds a home here, as does the linnet. Look especially for the male of the species in spring and summer when it has a bright blood-red breast and forehead. You’ll find them in the trees and bushes near the visitor centre and at the hide near the conservation pool. At various times of the year you might spot barnacle geese, great crested grebe, pied flycatchers, spectacular kingfishers, cormorants and even a rare osprey that has visited here several times in recent years. While you're there: A visit to the Churnet Valley Railway will invoke memories of steam travel on a rural railway of the mid-20th century. Starting from the Victorian station at Cheddleton, it meanders along beside the River Churnet and the Cauldon Canal. There are several stops including the picturesque hamlet of Consall with some fine local walks and the Black Lion public house. Where to eat and drink: Stop at the Tittesworth Visitor Centre which is on the walk. This light and airy restaurant has great views over the water and a good selection of food options, ranging from a full breakfast through tasty soups and rolls to afternoon teas with delicious scones and pastries What to look out for: Towards the end of the walk look out for Butterfly Beach. This is an experimental area designed to encourage breeding butterflies. This ‘luxury hotel’ for these delightful insects has a sandy beach for a spot of sunbathing on a warm summer day and thistles, nettles and a host of wild flowers to provide egg-laying sites and food. Directions: Facing the entrance to the visitor centre turn left, cross the car park and follow the path signed ‘Waymarked Walks and Play Area’. Beyond the Nature Trails sign, continue along the concrete path around the edge of the reservoir. Cross two bridges and follow the Long Trail/Short Trail signs along a well-surfaced path. At a junction by a picnic table turn left on to a forest trail. 2 Follow the waymarked Long Trail through the wood, crossing a bridge and some duckboarding, then turn left at a T-junction again following the Long Trail (follow footprint waymarks). As the path leaves the wood fork right on to a grassy track. 3 Continue along the bank of the reservoir then re-enter woodland, cross some duckboards and rejoin the broad, hard-surface track. Cross a bridge by a picnic table, ascend some steps and continue along duckboards. Skirt the edge of a wood, keeping the fence on your left, then go downhill through a wood and along the reservoir bank. 4 Go through some more woodland, cross a bridge, walk up some steps then leave the wood and continue on a gravel path. Follow the path downhill towards the dam. Go through a gate and cross the dam head. At the far end, go uphill on a series of steps and turn right on to a footpath. 5 Go through a gate, turn right at a T-junction on to a metalled lane. Continue on this through a farm, following the signs for Meerbrook, straight ahead. At the road junction turn right at the Long Trail and Visitor Centre sign. Turn right again following the pedestrian-only road to Tittesworth Reservoir. When this turns to the right, bear left on a footpath beside the reservoir. 6 Go through a gate on to the road then turn right into the public entrance to the reservoir to return to the visitor centre.