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| Dock Tarn | ||
|---|---|---|
| Historic Name | docce + terne | |
| Name Meaning | Mountain pool where water plants grow | |
| Type | Areally scoured | |
| Inflows | 2 small inlets north & east | |
| Outflows | Willygrass Gill | |
| Max. Length | 236 metres (775 ft) | |
| Max. Width | 122 metres (400 ft) | |
| Max. Depth | 5 metres (16 ft) | |
| Surface Area | 1.89 hectares (4.69 acres) | |
| Surface Elevation | 407 metres (1,335 feet) | |
| No. of Islands | 1 | |
| Access | Footpaths | |
| Topo Map | OL4 Explorer | |
| Coordinates | 54.519259 , -3.1234578 | |
| OS Grid Ref. | NY 27375 14355 | |
| what3words | limelight.grace.solving | |
Dock Tarn sits in a picturesque setting at an elevation of 407 metres (1,335 ft) on Watendlath Fell, close to the hamlets of Rosthwaite, Borrowdale and Stonethwaite. Called "a jewel deserving a sweeter name"[1] by Alfred Wainwright, from his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, it sits in a depression which is another example of areal scouring, the result of ice sheets gouging and excavating the rocks beneath forming a "very ice roughened area of crags and hollows"[2]. Wainwright describes the area as an "infinite and complex mass of rough slopes, of heathery tors and mossy swamps and shy little tarns – a beautiful labyrinth, a joy to the explorer but the despair of the map-maker.[1] There are 800+ areally scoured tarns across multiple areas throughout central Lakeland; the landscape here of which nestles perfectly into Wainwrights description. It was created due to "weak structural lines in the underlying bedrock,"[3] where "northward moving ice was able to exploit on the crest of Watendlath Fell."[2] The tarn floor slopes gradually from every shore until south-east of the centre, where there is a small deep hollow.[4] There is a varied shoreline, with several rocky headlands and bays on both the eastern and western shores. Depending on sources, the depth ranges between one metre (Smith) to five metres (Blair, Cooper).
The modest, but no less stunning peak of Great Crag, rises to the north-west. It is the child peak of nearby Ullscarf (726m), whilst the latter is not important enough for a Both peaks do not appear to be a disproportionately higher than the tarn itself, given its position in an elevated, rocky, and heather-clad depression. There are few tarns in central lakeland surrounded by so much of this beautiful, flowering evergreen shrub. Many areas had seen the heather burnt to allow for improved grazing, but instead of its intended purpose, the result was an extensive spreads of bracken.[5] Here, at the right time of year, the heather provides colour and character to a virtually treeless landscape, apart from those on the island. Over the western ridge the heights of Great Crag appear a little more grand from the Borrowdale/Stonethwaite Valley floor, but still not to epic proportions. Almost the entire slopes of the crag are wooded with ancient oaks, and the whole valley is nature's aesthetic work of art.
To the north is Watendlath Tarn, and to the east, Blea Tarn, both of which are small valley lakes, created by processes similar to that of the big lakes of Lakeland.[6][7] Dock Tarn has one larger rock island, and several much smaller protuberances, situated at its northern end. The southern end is showing signs of major sedimentary infilling.[8] Dock tarn has an abundance of plant life. The common reed and the small white water lily, both suited to lower elevations, seem to thrive well here; the water lily particularly so possibly the highest occurrance throughout Lakeland.[9][10]
Etymology
Dock Tarn is recorded as Docketerne, c.1209-10.[10] The general translation of the mountain pool where water-plants grow comes from two elements. The first element from Old English docce (the dock which will swim, the water-lily; nymphæa),[11] and Middle English dokke (a plant of the genus Rumex).[12] The water-lily connection could be considered likely due to its abundance in the tarn, even at this elevation.
The second element comes from Middle English terne, tarne (lake, pool, pond),[13] which itself comes from Old Norse tjǫrn (small lake, pond pool). In 1862, the tarn was described as "a small sheet of water, very full of weeds."[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wainwright, p.1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Smith 2012, p.42
- ↑ Smith 2012, p.38
- ↑ Cooper 1960, p.91
- ↑ Copper 1960, p.90
- ↑ Smith 2012, p.16
- ↑ Smith 2012, pp.22-23
- ↑ Smith 2012, p.42
- ↑ Blair 2003, p.150
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Whaley 2006, p.97
- ↑ Bosworth-Toller, docce
- ↑ MEC-McSparran, dokke
- ↑ MEC-McSparran, terne, tarne
Sources
- Blair, Don (2003). Exploring Lakeland Tarns: A Complete Guide. Revised Edition. Keswick: Lakeland Manor Press.
- Bosworth, Joseph. (2014) An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary Online Edited by Thomas Northcote Toller et al., Faculty of Arts, Charles University.
- Cooper, W.H. (1960). The Tarns of Lakeland. London: Frederick Warne and Co. Ltd.
- Middle English Compendium (MEC). Edited by Robert E. Lewis, et al. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1952-2001. Online edition in Middle English Compendium. Edited by Frances McSparran, et al. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Library.
- Smith, Alan (2012). The Big Lakes of Lakeland. The Landscapes of Cumbria No.5. Keswick: Rigg Side Publications.
- Wainwright, Alfred (2016). A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells Book Three: The Central Fells. Walkers (revised) edition. London: Frances Lincoln.
- Whaley, Diana (2006). A Dictionary of Lake District Place-Names. English Place-Name Society. School of English Studies, University of Nottingham.