Yorkshire Water has made improvements to sections of the walking route at the Cod Beck reservoir keeping in mind the visitors who like to head on over there to enjoy all the beautiful scenery.

Cod Beck is one of 115 scenic reservoirs owned by Yorkshire Water in North, West and South Yorkshire, which in total are visited by an estimated one million people each year.

Cod Beck reservoir is located in the North York Moors National Park near to the village of Osmotherley. It’s a popular leisure destination for ramblers, dog walkers, bird watchers and with day trippers who picnic there in the summer.

On the west side of the reservoir, there’s a path running through a wood and the company has thinned the coniferous trees so that the remaining trees can have more space to grow and support the development of a more diverse woodland with young trees and broadleaves. More light will also be let in by the thinning, shining through the tree canopy and falling onto the path to make for a much better walking experience and the views to go with across the reservoir. Other trees, ground flora and shrubs will also be allowed to establish themselves as a result of the opening up of the ground to let more light in.

Yorkshire Water’s woodland management programme is accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council which promotes responsible forestry and meets the highest environmental and social standards.

The timber coming from the felled trees is being used in the timber trade, within the construction industry as well as some for biomass energy.

Extended sections of the walking route have also been improved with the introduction of fine aggregate topping to make a smoother and flatter surface. The slope of the path is gentler than before and sections have been widened to improve access. This compliments path works undertaken along the other shore a few years ago.

The much-loved walk around the reservoir spans over some privately owned land together with National Trust land. For anyone to enjoy this circular walk around the whole reservoir, visitors need to be able to cross some stepping stones over the beck.

Geoff Lomas, Recreation and Catchment Manager at Yorkshire Water said “We welcome visitors and we’re continually trying to deliver our promise to our customers to protect and improve the water environment. We want to improve the experience visitors have when they visit our land and the paths are now in great shape ready for the rest of summer and autumn when we tend to see visitor numbers increase dramatically.”

All invitations to visit Cod Beck are required to include a warning that the lives of some people taking a swim to cool down on a summer’s day have been claimed by the reservoir. Reservoirs otherwise seem like a good place to take a dip or cool down, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In the unfortunate event of fatalities occurring (they do across the UK each year), it’s often the temperature proving to be the most significant factor.

Reservoirs are deep and the water doesn’t flow like in rivers or the sea so the temperature rarely rises much above 12C. It really doesn’t matter how well a person can swim as it’s the cold which paralyses muscles, meaning the victim is unable to stay afloat and if help doesn’t arrive within seconds, they will drown. Strong currents also lurk beneath the surface of often calm looking waters as water is drawn off into the supply network.

Geoff added, “By all means come along and enjoy the lovely scenery around our reservoirs but please stay safe and keep out of the water. Please pay attention to the signs warning visitors about the dangers.”