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RUDYARD LAKE - 20/07/03

Today we visit Rudyard Lake, it is located to the north west of Leek in Staffordshire and is signposted off the A523 Macclesfield to Leek road. The main car park which is free of charge is approximately 500 yards from the lake itself. You can either walk the distance or travel on the narrow gauge steam railway.  The weather is warm and dry, with sunny intervals.

Rudyard Lake is in fact a reservoir, work commenced on construction in 1797 to provide water for the canal system and it was completed in 1800. It is named Rudyard Lake after Ralph Rudyard who was thought to have killed Richard III.
The Lake is a popular location for all the family, attractions include the new visitors centre, (see top right photo) opened in 2001, a shop/cafe, and the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway which runs the 2.5 mile length of the lake on the eastern shore, along a route that used to be the North Staffordshire railway. It is also a popular spot for picnics, fishing, walking, sailing and cycling.
Rudyard Lake has been named by British Waterways as the third most romantic waterside site in Britain, in fact the famous author Rudyard Kipling was named after the lake by his parents who it is thought met and fell in love there.