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

Acknowledgements