Salterbeck Reservoir & Shore Road

Salterbeck Reservoir was originally built for the steelworks and had stood untouched for some time. A community project has turned the reservoir into a pleasant place to visit and a great place for wildlife to thrive. It is accessible to everyone and there are facilities for anglers. It has floating islands, picnic areas and an information board with details on wildlife that can be seen.

 

If you want to explore further, download our walking guide here. 

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Shore Road, Salterbeck, leads to the Salterbeck reservoir/ fishing pond and access to the West Cumbrian Coastal Path.

Nestled within these junctures, you will find the Shore Road wildflower scrape, funded by Get Cumbria Buzzing, managed and maintained by Workington Nature Partnership staff and volunteers.

 

Sloping towards the coastal railway line and facing the post- industrial landscape and Irish sea, this scraped back patch of earth has been re-seeded with selected wildflowers including yellow rattle, ox-eye daisy, birds-foot trefoil, kidney vetch and knapweed.

The aim of the seeding is to promote the healthy growth of nectar rich plants and attract pollinators including Britain’s smallest butterfly: the Small Blue. 

Additionally, the site also contributes to the Bee-Line networks from Harrington Nature Reserve and harbourside, to Derwent Howe slag banks, and onto Oldside wildflower scrapes, heading in a northerly, coastal direction.

 

This newly developed patch is prone to invasive thistles, but established brambles and tansy can be seen nearby, contributing to the wildflower offer. 

 

Ladybirds have already added their value, by making a meal of the aphids, which in turn provide a food chain and mini-eco-system to the site.

 

This is one place to keep an eye on in Spring/ Summer 2021, when the wildflower seedlings will develop into mature plants, and provide a brilliant show of colour and a foodplant source for those flying Allerdale Beauties.

 

Look out for sparrow hawks, and common lizards from this elevated coastal view point.