Hawes Water, sometimes called Hawes Tarn,[3] is a lake in north west Lancashire, England, in the parish of Silverdale, the Arnside and Silverdale AONB, and the Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve (NNR).[4] It is one of only two natural fresh-water lakes in the county, along with Marton Mere. It is a marl lake and the focus of an eponymous Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)[5] and has been the subject of several research studies.[1][2][6][7] Little Hawes Water is a smaller lake to the north east. To the south of the lake, and included in the SSSI, is the area of Haweswater Moss.[8]
| Hawes Water | |
|---|---|
 Looking across the lake towards Challon Hall | |
  Hawes Water Location in Lancashire  Hawes Water Location in City of Lancaster district | |
| Location | Silverdale, Lancashire, England |
| Coordinates | 54°10′58″N 2°48′06″W / 54.182640°N 2.801607°W |
| Type | natural lake |
| Primary outflows | Hawes Water Moss, Myers Dyke, into Morecambe Bay |
| Catchment area | 1.7 square kilometres (0.66 sq mi)[1] |
| Basin countries | England |
| Max. length | 400 m (1,300 ft)[1] |
| Max. width | 225 m (738 ft)[1] |
| Surface area | 5.7 hectares (14 acres)[2] |
| Max. depth | 12 m (39 ft)[1] |
| Residence time | 0.32 years[2] |
The footpath along the eastern side of Hawes Water is accessible for wheelchairs, and a car parking place is provided which can be accessed with a RADAR key.[9]
Fiona Reynolds, writing in Country Life, described Hawes Water as "a mysterious, low-lying marl lake, where ... we are told of riches, bitterns and lady's slipper orchid, that can be seen when the time is right".[10]
It has been recorded that a serpent was believed to live in the lake, emerging occasionally to devour local sheep.[3]
In 2020 Natural England published a Summary guide to the management of Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve, Silverdale, Lancashire 2020–2025[11] and a Grazed Habitats Management Plan: Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve 2020-2025[12] describing their plans for Hawes Water and the rest of the Gait Barrows NNR.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Jones, R.T.; Marshall, J.D.; Fisher, E.; Hatton, J.; Patrick, C.; Anderson, K.; Lang, B.; Bedford, A.; Oldfield, F. (November 2011). "Controls on lake level in the early to mid Holocene, Hawes Water, Lancashire, UK". The Holocene. 21 (7): 1061–1072. doi:10.1177/0959683611400455.
- ^ a b c Wiik, Emma; Bennion, Helen; Sayer, Carl D.; Davidson, Thomas A.; McGowan, Suzanne; Patmore, Ian R.; Clarke, Stewart J. (November 2015). "Ecological sensitivity of marl lakes to nutrient enrichment: evidence from Hawes Water, UK". Freshwater Biology. 60 (11): 2226–2247. doi:10.1111/fwb.12650.
- ^ a b "Townships: Silverdale", A History of the County of Lancaster, Victoria County History, vol. 8, 1914, pp. 180–182, archived from the original on 3 September 2014, retrieved 16 February 2021
- ^ "Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve leaflet - NE418". Natural England. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Hawes Water SSSI" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Oldfield, Frank (July 1960). "Studies in the post-glacial history of British vegetation: Lowland Lonsdale". New Phytologist. 59 (2): 192–217. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1960.tb06216.x.
- ^ Marshall, Jim D.; Jones, Richard T.; Crowley, Stephen F.; Oldfield, Frank; Nash, Samantha; Bedford, Alan (September 2002). "A high resolution Late-Glacial isotopic record from Hawes Water, Northwest England". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 185 (1–2): 25–40. doi:10.1016/S0031-0182(02)00422-4.
- ^ "Hawes Water Moss, Lancaster - area information, map, walks and more". Ordnance Survey Get Outside. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Gait Barrows, Hawes Water". Easy Access Walks (PDF). Arnside and Silverdale AONB. 2007. p. 14. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ Reynolds, Fiona (13 February 2020). "Arnside and Silverdale: A landscape on par with the Lake District in its beauty and significance". Country Life. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
- ^ "Summary guide to the management of Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve, Silverdale, Lancashire 2020–2025" (PDF). Natural England. January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Grazed Habitats Management Plan: Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve 2020-2025" (PDF). Natural England. January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
Further reading
edit- Wiik, Emma; Bennion, Helen; Sayer, Carl D.; Clarke, Stewart J. (1 October 2014). "Assessing the status of marl lakes under the European Union Water Framework Directive – insights from contemporary and palaeolimnological studies of three English lakes". Fundamental and Applied Limnology. 185 (2): 121–138. doi:10.1127/fal/2014/0648.