Water and the valley

The River Nidd has had a major influence over Nidderdale’s landscape, from the location of town and villages to the visual and social impact of building reservoirs. The Water and the Valley resources look at reservoirs from construction to water cycle and examine the physical and human geography of the Nidd valley from source to sea.

Water and the Valley K-W-L chart

Reservoirs of Nidderdale – Fact sheet describing the construction, physical features and social history linked to Nidderdale’s three reservoirs

Reservoir construction activities

PDF resources: Timeline for construction from 1890 to 1936; Historical maps showing the changes to the valley; Film voice-over project linked to historical silent film; Understanding the railway built to aid construction of the reservoirs

Water cycle activities

PDF and SMART Board resources: understanding the water cycle

Physical features on the Nidd – SMART Board resource focusing on the River Nidd’s physical geography

Human features on the Nidd – SMART Board resource focusing on the River Nidd’s human geography

Maps and plans activities

PDF and SMART Board resources: Locating different settlements along the River Nidd from source to sea

River Nidd geography activities

PDF and SMART Board resources: Understanding the different physical and human geography features along the River Nidd; Vocabulary linked to different parts of the river; Reading contours from maps to plot valley profiles

Image resources

Colour and pen-and-ink drawings showing Nidderdale in the 1920s (90 years ago). Includes valley view, plus Scar House reservoir during construction and Scar Railway Station

The Water and the Valley topic web shows links with National Curriculum objectives and contains suggested activities.

Acknowledgements