Greenlee Lough
Encyclopedia
Greenlee Lough is a lough
or lake
and National Nature Reserve
3 miles (5 km) north of Bardon Mill
, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km)north of the B6318 road in Northumberland
, northern England
.
The lough is owned and managed as a nature reserve
by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust
and the Northumberland National Park
. It is a shallow lake fringed with water plants. Most of the reserve is open water. The lake's edge has reedbed
, herb fen and blanket bog
. It is used extensively by wildfowl
and wader
s that feed in the shallow waters and wetlands. The lough was used as a reservoir
by the Romans
on Hadrian's Wall
.
Greenlee Sailing Club sailed GP14s
,and later Lasers
, and Mirrors
throughout the 60s. The club closed down in the 70s as members left for the larger, and more accessible, club at Derwent Reservoir near Hexham.
. It is likely that crayfish
have never been widespread in Northumberland National Park
as their preferred habitat of calcareous burns, rivers, and lakes is very limited.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
or lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
and National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
3 miles (5 km) north of Bardon Mill
Bardon Mill
Bardon Mill is a village in Northumberland, England. It is situated to the west of Haydon Bridge and Hexham, on the River South Tyne.-Governance:Bardon Mill is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham.-Transport:Rail...
, and 1.5 miles (2.4 km)north of the B6318 road in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, northern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The lough is owned and managed as a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust
Northumberland Wildlife Trust
Northumberland Wildlife Trust was established in 1971 to help conserve and protect the wildlife of Northumberland, Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside in the UK...
and the Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than 1030 km² between the Scottish Border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall. It is one of the least populated and least visited of the National Parks...
. It is a shallow lake fringed with water plants. Most of the reserve is open water. The lake's edge has reedbed
Reed bed
Reed beds are natural habitats found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions andestuaries. Reed beds are part of a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground...
, herb fen and blanket bog
Blanket bog
Blanket bog or blanket mire is an area of peatland, forming where there is a climate of high rainfall and a low level of evapotranspiration, allowing peat to develop not only in wet hollows but over large expanses of undulating ground. The blanketing of the ground with a variable depth of peat...
. It is used extensively by wildfowl
Anatidae
Anatidae is the biological family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica and on most of the world's islands and island groups...
and wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s that feed in the shallow waters and wetlands. The lough was used as a reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
on Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
.
Greenlee Sailing Club sailed GP14s
GP14 (dinghy)
The GP14 is a popular sailing dinghy, with over 14,000 built.The class is active in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and parts of north-eastern USA, and the GP 14 can be used for both racing and cruising. The boat is relatively heavy, but stable, and the weight and the...
,and later Lasers
Laser (dinghy)
The International Laser Class sailboat, also called Laser Standard and the Laser One is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy. According the Laser Class Rules the boat may be sailed by either one or two people, though it is rarely sailed by two. The design, by Bruce Kirby, emphasizes...
, and Mirrors
Mirror (dinghy)
The Mirror is a very popular sailing dinghy, with more than 70,000 built.The Mirror was named after the Daily Mirror, a UK newspaper with a largely working class distribution. The Mirror was from the start promoted as an affordable boat, and as a design it has done a great deal to make dinghy...
throughout the 60s. The club closed down in the 70s as members left for the larger, and more accessible, club at Derwent Reservoir near Hexham.
Protected species
The White-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes is present in the Lough. The species is in decline in Europe, Great Britain, and in northeast England, and is the only crayfish native to the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. It is likely that crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
have never been widespread in Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than 1030 km² between the Scottish Border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall. It is one of the least populated and least visited of the National Parks...
as their preferred habitat of calcareous burns, rivers, and lakes is very limited.