Pitsford Water facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Northern section of Pitsford Water, with mute swans and dragonfly sculpture
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| Area of Search | Northamptonshire |
|---|---|
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 413.1 hectares |
| Notification | 1984 |
| Location map | [ Magic Map] |
Pitsford Water, also known as Pitsford Reservoir, is a large body of water in Northamptonshire, England. It covers about 413 hectares (that's over 1,000 acres!). This special place is a reservoir, which means it's an artificial lake built to store water. It's also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its important wildlife.
Pitsford Water is owned by Anglian Water. They manage it as a fun water park where people can enjoy walking, cycling, fishing, sailing, and watching birds. A big part of the reservoir, about 181 hectares, is the Pitsford Water Nature Reserve. This reserve is looked after by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.
Building Pitsford Water
Pitsford Water was built in 1956. Its main job was to provide drinking water for the town of Northampton, which is about 6 miles south. When the reservoir was filled with water, an old bridge called Holcot bridge was covered. A new causeway, which is like a raised road across the water, was built to replace it.
This reservoir is quite large! It's the 34th biggest body of water in England and Wales. Its surface covers about 2.85 square miles. The reservoir gets its name from the nearby village of Pitsford. It's also close to Brixworth village and Brixworth Country Park. The village of Holcot is on its eastern side.
Amazing Wildlife
Pitsford Water is the biggest lake in Northamptonshire. It's a very important home for many birds, especially during winter. Lots of different kinds of wildfowl, like the northern shoveler duck, come here. There are so many shoveler ducks that Pitsford Water is nationally important for them!
More than 60 types of birds make their nests and raise their young here. Some of these birds include:
- The great crested grebe
- The little grebe
- The teal
- The kingfisher
- The reed warbler
These birds find plenty of food and safe places to live around the water.
Fishing Fun
Anglian Water runs Pitsford Water as a great place for trout fishing. You can buy a season ticket or a day ticket to fish here. If you don't have your own boat, you can even rent one!
During the winter months, you can also try predator fishing, mainly for pike. The trout that are put into the reservoir usually weigh around 2 pounds. A special record was set in October 2017. A fisherman named Bob Collins caught a huge brown trout that weighed 15 pounds and 8 ounces!
Visiting Pitsford Water
You can easily visit the Pitsford Water park. It's open to everyone. If you want to explore the nature reserve part, you'll need to get a permit from the fishing lodge first. This helps protect the special wildlife there.
