Walk

The promised Saturday weather came true. Blue skies and sunshine with the February air as clear as crystal. But where should I walk to take advantage of such a day?

I went somewhere I had not been in a good, long while - Dale Dyke Reservoir to the north west of the city. It takes about twenty minutes to drive out there. The last three miles are narrow lanes where meeting vehicles need to slow right down to get past each other.

The unremarkable reservoir sits peacefully in the cleft of a valley but once its name was infamous across the kingdom.

Not long after its initial construction and following heavy rains, the massive earth and clay dam sprang a leak which turned into a cleft that was soon split apart by the weight of water behind it. It is estimated that 700 million gallons of water were released. I previously blogged about this terrible event  back in 2010. Go here.

The torrent  thundered to the nearby village of Low Bradfield before surging down The Loxley Valley towards Hillsborough and The Wicker in Sheffield city centre. Along the way, 600 homes were destroyed, fifteen bridges and several work places. More than 240 people were killed, many through drowning.

The Great Sheffield Flood was the biggest civilian disaster of the Victorian period in Great Britain. It occurred on the night of March 11th 1864. In its aftermath, many changes to reservoir and dam construction occurred. Important lessons had been learnt.

Nowadays, The Sheffield Flood is a mere footnote in history and even within this city, many Sheffielders have never heard of the disaster. That unremembering simply adds to the tragedy.

Victorian pump house close to Dale Dyke Reservoir

Today, with boots on, I circled Dale Dyke Reservoir. In places the perimeter path was muddy as hell and I had to pick my way carefully through those sections. However, it was a delight to walk beneath a blue sky once again.

Lots of other people were out and about, taking advantage of a diamond day after what has seemed like weeks of gloomy skies. They are set to return in the week ahead but today we were reminded that there can be light and colour and sunshine - combining to make a special healing remedy for needy humans.

A view of Boots Folly above Strines Reservoir