Reservoir Rover Long Walk

Points of interest:

Covenham Reservoir
The reservoir, the largest stretch of inland water in Lincolnshire, with its various water sport activities (see www.covenhamsc.co.uk) is a mecca for bird watchers, particularly in the winter when many species of migratory waterfowl are to be seen there. The 'concrete bowl' construction, built in 1970, operates a 'simple flow water management system: pumping water from Louth Navigation into the reservoir and out to the Humber bank.The

Millhouse, Covenham
The present building is believed to date back to the 1500s although a post mill is known to have been built around 1430, a little to the cast. The mill, one of many erected at the time, was used to grind corn for the Benedictine Priory, 150 yards to the south. It was William the Conqueror who, at the instigation of the Bishop of Durham, founded this priory as a cell to the Abbey of Karalephut in Normandy. Like other religious houses in Britain, it was closed in 1536 as a consequence of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries and the mill became redundant.

Fulstow Village
This charming rural village is situated on the Meridian line, has an abundance of fresh water springs, a quaint Post Office and of course the Pub where we start our walk.

Salterns
Medieval salt making sites are identified by an artificial mound built from waste soil and are easily recognised since they lie in an otherwise flat landscape of marsh. Examples can be seen in Grainthorpe and Marshchapel on an early sea bank or the Medieval shoreline.

Wildlife
The value of farm buildings to wild life is often
forgotten. A watchful eye on the sky could reveal some interesting sights: such as Bats, Barn Owls, Swifts, Swallows and House Martins.

Bridleways
Many of the marsh bridleways were the Old Salt Routes which were used to carry salt from the Salterns on the East Coast to Lincoln and Louth. Now forming an important part of the Countryside Access Improvement Scheme, please be aware that the bridleways on this walk are still well used by horse riders and occasionally cyclists.

Butterbur
Margaret Baker reports that young unmarried women would sow butterbur seeds on a Friday morning:
"I soro, I sow
Then come, my own dear, Come here, come here, And mow and mow"
And she would see her future husband scythe in hand.
Butterbur is now widely used as an alternative medicine: a remedy for migraine and allergies.