Cod Beck ~ Easy Walk

Distance Covered: 2 miles Time to Complete Walk 1.5 hours

Suitable for dog walking: Yes

Outside Osmotherley, Cod Beck Resorvoir is a very popular destination for a short walk. Skirting the boundary of the resorvoir, this walk also takes you through the forest surrounding it and is an ideal base to start walking or for a dog walk. 

General Safety Tips: Watch out for ice in the winter. The forest area has fallen trees towards the end of the walk which you can either traverse or walk around. 

                                             The Cod Beck Walk

Getting There

From Middlesbrough head onto the A19 southbound. Turn left onto the Osmotherley turn off and left again into Osmotherley. At the main junction in the village head left and this will take you to Cod Beck. Two car parks are available after the resorvoir, a small one and a bigger one soon after. Both are free of charge and this walk starts from the smaller one.

Maps of the Cod Beck Walk 

The Walk

From the car park head up the path to the left.

Follow the path to a green gate and head through it and over a wooden bridge.

Head onto a track as it enters the forest and next to the reservoir.

Follow the reservoir until you come to a fork in the track. Head right to the wall next to the reservoir for a full view of the reservoir.

Head back to the track and into the forest through a large gate.

Head along the track and climb up to the top as it winds upwards.

At the top turn left and follow the path.

At a junction turn right up a long path.

At the end of the track head past an interesting statue and through a gap in the gate.

Turn left and follow the track

Look for a path to your left which heads down to the forest again.

Head over a brook on some stepping stones and the go over or past the step ladder.

Head onto the grassy track and soon head right downwards to the path below.

Negotiate your way over fallen trees by either hopping over them or ducking underneath them. This will take you back to the initial path near the reservoir. Turn right and head back to the car park.

Cod Beck Reservoir

Cod Beck Reservoir is a man-made lake situated within the North York Moors National Park and near the village of Osmotherley in the English county of North Yorkshire. The reservoir is named after Cod Beck, which is the small river that fills it.

The building of the reservoir was started in 1948 with final completion in 1953. The dam head height is listed as being 24.4 m (80 ft) and an old pit at Crathorne was re-opened in 1950 to supply clay to line the dam head.

The treatment works was closed down in 2006 after the deterioration of the quality of the water from the moorland and the presence of Cryptosporidium; water is now supplied to Northallerton and Thirsk, and to Osmotherley village, from Thornton Steward Reservoir. Cod Beck Reservoir now operates as a compensation reservoir to maintain flow into the downstream reaches of Cod Beck and as such, it is still operated and maintained by the local water company.

The reservoir is surrounded by woodland and just upstream is the local beauty spot called Sheepwash. Because of its position at the north of the North York Moors, the site attracts many visitors from Darlington and Teesside.

Cod Beck Reservoir is open to the public for walking and enjoyment of the countryside but campfires, camping, illegal raves, fishing and swimming are prohibited for public safety.

Cod Beck Reservoir is recognised as being important to toads. Common Toads hibernate on the moorland and have been subject to death on the road that runs alongside the reservoir. Volunteers go out on mild wet nights in February for a two to four-week period to rescue the toads. Yorkshire Water have similarly said that they will only release water in drought conditions if it is of benefit to the environment downstream to alleviate the plight of the toads.

Cod Beck also supports Brown Trout, Grayling, Bullhead, Eel, Stone loach, Minnow and Lamphrey. Evidence of Otters has also been noted.