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| Alcock Tarn | ||
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| Name Meaning | Alcock's pool[1] | |
| Name Origin | English surname | |
| Type | Areally scoured (glacial) Enlarged by dam |
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| Max. Depth | 2 metres (6½ feet) | |
| Surface Area | 0.70 hectares (1.73 acres) | |
| Surface Elevation | 365 metres (1,190 feet) | |
| Access | Footpaths | |
| Topo Map | OL7 Explorer | |
| Coordinates | 54.462209 , -3.0057301 | |
| OS Grid Ref. | NY349078 | |
| what3words | wages.enforced.excavated | |
Alcock Tarn, also known as Allcock Tarn, is a small body of water on a fairly level, but small shelf on the upper reaches of Heron Pike, high above the village and lake of Grasmere. It lies at an elevation of 365 metres (1,190 feet) and has a depth of around 2 metres (6.5 feet). It’s location gives a feeling of isolation; an open and somewhat featureless environment that affords expansive views across the valley to neighbouring fells. The ridge here is a fine example of areal scouring of the bedrock surface from the last glacial period; ice moving slowly over long periods of time, carving the many features we see today as tarns and pools.[2][3]
Historically, the tarn has had several names. Ordnance Survey named it Allcock Tarn in 1899, but it has also been known as Grey Crag Tarn, and Butter Crag Tarn, due to it’s proximity to the nearby Crags of the same names.[1] In this instance, the word Butter may derive from the British chieftain Boethar, who had a stronghold on the prominence of Burtharlyp Howe in Grasmere.[4] It is Grasmere resident, Mr Alcock of The Hollins, today known as Hollens Farm, who, during the late 19th century, built a small stone and earth dam at the southern end, and stocked the tarn with brown and rainbow trout.[5][6] The tarn is larger today than its original size as a result of the dam.
Celebrated landscape artist and resident of Grasmere, William Heaton Cooper (1903 – 1995), describes Alcock Tarn in his book, The Tarns of Lakeland thus:
It is a modest and pleasant sheet of water, a mirror of the distant sky as one looks southwards towards the lowlands, Windermere and the sea, and it is set among rolling grasslands interlaced by numerous sheep trods. After a few days of hard frost without wind this tarn, being shallow and above the thousand-foot level, gives some of the earliest skating of the winter in a very pleasant setting. For myself, I would say that the most interesting thing about Alcock Tarn is what you see from it, especially as you look down on the valley and village below and can pick out each house and each turn of road and river, following the Easedale Valley up through field and farmland and out to Near and Far Easedale and the broad plateau of High Raise against the sky.[6]
There are two main routes up to Alcock Tarn: from Dove Cottage to the south, and the historic Swan Inn from the northern end of Grasmere. A third route, being much longer, starts from Rydal Mount and ascends Nab Scar, perfect for the energetic with a penchant for steeper climbs. Walking time to the tarn will vary considerably based on route taken, physical fitness, and how many photos you take on the way! Allow a minimum of an hour each way.
Heron Pike is part of the Fairfield group of fells, and Wainwright's Eastern Fells. It offers a lengthy walk along its spine via its parent peak, Great Rigg, all the way to Grisedale Tarn. Another much smaller body of water, more like a pond, is Dockey Tarn, approximately 500 metres (1,640ft) south-east.
The fell side from Dove Cottage up to and including Alcock Tarn, a total of 69.41 acres (28.09 hectares), is owned by the National Trust, who acquired the land on 22 January, 1943.[7]
References
Sources
- Blair, Don (2003). Exploring Lakeland Tarns: A Complete Guide. Revised Edition. Lakeland Manor Press. Keswick, Cumbria.
- Cooper, W.Heaton (1960). The Tarns of Lakeland. London: Frederick Warne and Co. Ltd.
- Smith, Alan (2014). The Smaller Lakes and Tarns of Lakeland. The Landscapes of Cumbria No.6. Rigg Side Publications. Keswick, Cumbria.
- Whaley, Diana (2006). A Dictionary of Lake District Place-Names. English Place-Name Society. School of English Studies, University of Nottingham.