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
- 1 - Label and explain physical features along Nidd
- 2 - Locate and label physical features on the Nidd from source to sea
- 3 - Label and explain human features along Nidd
- 4 - Locate and label human features on the Nidd from source to sea
- 5 - River Journey Vocabulary Task
- 6 - Sketch and describe stages of the River Nidd journey
- 7 - Nidd Valley shape co-ordinates and contours task
- 8 - Valley Coordinates and Cross Sections task
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.