|Burrator Reservoir and surrounds, Dartmoor|
Burrator Reservoir is a beautiful spot set in Dartmoor National Park close to the villages of Sheepstor and Meavy. It is surrounded by mixed woodland which sharply contrasts with the open moor and the rugged Dartmoor tors which overlook it. It is a very popular spot with many people visiting it to walk or cycle around its 3.6 miles circumference. It has a wealth of footpaths and bridleways, a superb range of flora and fauna and many of the tracks lead onto the open moor making it a popular starting point for hikers. Around the reservoir there is much evidence of tin working, the remains of the Princetown Railway, both Devonport and Drakes leats plus cists, cairns and prehistoric settlements. Also in the area are ruins of many abandoned farms, a discrete group of historic settlements which were all abandoned in the early part of the 20th century following the building of the reservoir.
South-east of the reservoir lies Burrator Arboretum. The Arboretum and associated footpaths was created following the storms in the late 1980s as a collection of native and non-native trees. Apart from the mixed woodland the Narrator Brook runs through the Arboretum which, together with a network of ponds and meadows, give a variety of habitats that support a rich and diverse range of species.
The reservoir itself is formed by two dams; the main Burrator
Dam is built across the River Meavy
at the Burrator Gorge at the south-west end, the small Sheepstor Dam is
built on a dividing ridge between the Meavy and Sheepstor Brook at the
south-eastern end. The main dam is constructed of concrete faced with
dressed granite and the smaller dam is formed by an earth embankment with
a core wall of puddled clay above the original ground level and a concrete
section below ground. It was completed in 1898, and the reservoir was
expanded in 1929 by raising the height of both dams by 10 feet giving
it a maximum capacity of 1,026 million gallons. The reservoir is fed by
the River Meavy, Newleycombe Lake,
the Narrator Brook and the excess water
from Devonport Leat (which supplies the Dousland water treatment works).
The reservoir is now managed by the South West Lakes Trust.