Giant Cedar and Redwoods….open expanses of water and a lone canoe….you could be fooled into thinking that you were in a remote wild land. But you are actually in North Wales at Lake Vyrnwy (Llyn Efyrnwy) and in a very much manmade landscape….or at the very least a landscape much changed by man. Indeed, like many life changing advances in design, engineering and construction we have the Victorians to thank. Lake Vyrnwy is a reservoir built to feed the growing industry and population of Liverpool and its surrounds. Constructed in the 1880’s, at a cost of £620,000, it featured not just the worlds first large stone built dam but a giant cast iron pipe line that transported the water the 70 miles to Liverpool. You do have to admire the Victorians, not just for the shear scale of the undertakings they commissioned, but for the style in which they executed them. The Straining Tower (where the water leaves the reservoir and into the pipe line) is an iconic building used to identify the Vyrnwy….stone and copper in the Gothic style….
The Victorians also envisaged that the location would soon become a tourist country destination, so the area was landscaped and forested with spectacular trees. True much of the surrounds today whilst still covered with trees are more of the commercial variety. Thankfully there is also a large swath of moor and woodland that is a nature reserve with more native species…….But below the dam you may well enjoy a woodland walk through an Arboretum of more specialist species…….
Hidden away in the Arboretum, below the great Dam wall, is a Wood Sculpture Trail to add to the mystery of your walk……..
Created in 1999 and being crafted from local wood some of the sculptures are showing the wear and tear of the weather…..put there is still plenty to enjoy…….
It just goes to show that utility works do not have to be bland and boring and can add beauty to a landscape….and that is another lesson we can learn from our Victorian forefathers.
28th July
© David Oakes 2014
Posted 31st July
DAVID OAKES - IMAGES. 