After a day of storms and rain lashing at the windows, I had a hyper active dog and a moaning mammoth, a good long walk with something of interest might sort them both out…well I can live in hope.
Woolly says – I put my paw down immediately on the walking front and with Jo’s reassurances of being carried it seemed like I could be onto a winner. As we sped through the tiny Welsh lanes that our sat nav seemed to consider a necessary part of every journey we undertook I decided that it was time to start educating Alfie the Dog, where better to start than on our destination.
Lake Vyrnwy is a reservoir in Powys, built in the 1880s for Liverpool Corporation Waterworks to supply Liverpool with fresh water. On completion in 1888 it had flooded the head of the Vyrnwy valley and submerged the village of Llanwddyn. I paused for a moment thinking of the poor people whose homes were now submerged and how they felt abut using aqua lungs all the time.
The panting beast seemed to be fascinated, so with a quick glance at my notes I continued his education. When the reservoir is full, it is 26 metres (84 ft) deep, contains 59.7 gigalitres (13.125×109 imp gal), and covers an area of 4.54 square kilometres (1,121 acres), the equivalent of around 600 football pitches. The lake has a perimeter of 19 kilometres (12 mi) with a road that goes all the way around it. That’s a lot of walking for my career and the dog!
The first view of the Dam was jaw dropping, span the water it was Victorian finery at it’s best. As we made our way into the car park, I noticed a sign for a Sculpture trail and wondered if that might be a part of our outing.
It was indeed, although I had no idea of how many sculptures were there but hopefully enough to satisfy my small friend.
Woolly says – We wandered along the banks of the river that starts from the reservoir and makes its way into Shropshire before crossing the water on the footbridge. Spotting something sculpture like I bounded through the trees and set about searching, not quite as many things as I had hoped but a rather fine chair, a mermaid lady and a few other items of interest. Meanwhile the dam got ever nearer and the detailing of it became more apparent, it was immense when you started looked up at it.
Before crossing the dam, we paused for a few moments to read the memorial tablets of the official opening by the then Prince of Wales and the laying of the first stone.
The view across the lake was splendid and, in the distance, I was just able to make out the reservoir’s straining tower. Standing only 30 metres (98 ft) from the shore, its purpose is to filter or strain out material in the water with a fine metal mesh, before the water flows along the aqueduct to Liverpool. Its architecture represents Gothic revival and it was built at the same time as the dam. With every intention of getting a closer look we started to walk along the opposite shore line passing cyclists on the road and canoeists in the water.
A small pebbly area appeared under an awning of trees and we found a rock to perch on whilst Jo took the much needed photograph of the tower that was nearly opposite us.
It was quite pleasant to listen to the water brushing along the pebbles and a light breeze through the trees. A sudden cry of ‘ALFIE’ shook me suddenly out of my trance like state and I turned to see both dog and human racing up the bank we had recently descended. As I reached the top I was just able to see Jo running down the road in hot pursuit of the hound, tears of laughter poured down my face as a very hot and red faced human finally returned with said dog on lead and I could barely mutter the words ‘Well you did say you wanted more exercise!’ through my mirth.
Having glared at the mammoth and tightened the dog’s harness ….the walking is obviously working well for his waistline… I felt that an ice cream was in order although sharing it might not be an option unless the mammoth stopped laughing!