Restoring Gendal's Spring and the 3 pools - May 2010

Here is Gendal's Spring, so named because there are the ruins of a little cottage on Tor Noon moor where this spring resides, that once belonged to the Gendal family. This spring was their only source of water. About 20 years ago a cow managed to fall in and a neighbour decided to push the rock over it with his front loader. It has been a wish of mine to make it accessible again and re establish the 3 pools that it used to flow in to.


Here we have re-established the 3 pools that the spring feeds into. Years ago this had been the only watering hole for cattle to drink from and the farmers with grazing rights to this moorland would bring their cows here to drink. This kept the pools clear from overgrowth and the 'puddling' with their hooves maintained the pools. The pools grew in when the rock was pushed across the spring and disrupted the flow of water and baths were established in most of the fields. Now we are grazing this area of moorland the pools are needed again and will hopefully be maintained by the cows and ponies.


Here it is. We decided to keep it simple and just pull back the rock enough so that we can access the spring but still avoid the risk of animals falling in!