Location North Yorkshire Basin countries United Kingdom | Type reservoir | |
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Water volume 5,000,000 litres (1,099,846.241 imp gal; 1,320,860.262 US gal) Similar Roundhill Reservoir, Gouthwaite Reservoir, Druid's Temple, Angram Reservoir, Scar House Reservoir | ||
Leighton Reservoir is a reservoir which drains via the River Burn to the River Ure in North Yorkshire, England. It neighbours Roundhill Reservoir and is about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Masham. It takes its name from the nearby village of Leighton.
Map of Leighton Reservoir, Ripon, UK
Water from the reservoir is used to compensate for abstraction from the River Ure.
Although not in Nidderdale, the reservoir is within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Leighton is accessible for fishing and has a car park. The reservoir is on land owned by the Swinton Estate and they stock the waters with fish.
Like its near neighbours in Upper Nidderdale, the construction of Leighton reservoir (and Roundhill) necessitated the building of an industrial railway to bring in materials for construction. A 2 ft (610 mm) 6-mile (9.7 km) railway was built from the north end of Masham railway station where a transhipment yard was located to transfer freight between the narrow and standard gauge lines. The line opened in 1905 and was closed by 1930.