Ryburn Reservoir

Q. Where is the Ryburn Reservoir?

June Hilliker,St Louis, MO, USA

A. Ryburn reservoir is situated in West Yorkshire, England just south of the A58 road, south west of Ripponden.

The grid reference of the dam is SE 024 186 (Outdoor Leisure No. 21 - South Pennines).

This reservoir is the earlier of two built in the upper Ryburn Valley to serve the city of Bradford. The concrete dam is sited in a deep part of the valley, surrounded by woods - a popular area for walkers just outside the settlements of Ripponden and Rishworth. The upper reservoir, known as Baitings, was built in the 1950s and features a much more massive concrete dam wall, with the reservoir itself in a far more exposed position on the slopes of Blackstone Edge.

There are a number of rights of way and permissive paths in the area which deserve exploration - see Walk(s)

wy113 Baitings Reservoir from Ryburn Reservoir

wy139 Blackstone Edge and Dog Hill (Rishworth Moor) from Ryburn Reservoir

wy171 Dog Hill (Rishworth Moor) from Ryburn Reservoir

Although I live in Lancashire, my mother's family hail from that part of Yorkshire. An uncle was the secretary of Ryburn Woollen Mill, just below the dam.

David Butterworth

A. Try Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure Map 21- South Pennines. GR020187.

Peter Schofield

A. Ryburn Reservoir is located in the beautiful Ryburn valley about 1 mile outside Ripponden near Halifax, West Yorkshire on the A58 heading towards the Yorkshire - Lancashire border. The reservoir is the smaller and lower reservoir in a complex of two reservoirs in the valley, the other being the Baitings reservoir which is higher up the valley and more prominent.

There is a walk through secluded woodland around the reservoir which is nice to walk anytime of the year. If anyone would like to visit it, see Walk(s)