The landscape of the South Pennines, just above Halifax, West Yorkshire, holds a unique, rugged beauty. The images captured here from August 2016, despite the impressive, moody clouds rolling overhead, perfectly encapsulate the dramatic and open feel of this upland area – a world away from the pleasant valley bottom. We're looking at the stunning area of Warley Moor and its centrepiece, the expansive Warley Moor Reservoir, known locally to many as Fly Flatts Reservoir.
A Reservoir with Two Names and a Great History
The reservoir, completed in 1872, is a key piece of Victorian engineering, built under the direction of John Frederick La Trobe Bateman to supply drinking water. Covering around 90 acres (or 68 acres according to some sources) and sitting at an altitude of approximately 410 meters (1,350 feet), it has earned its reputation not just as a water source but as a premier sailing spot.
Halifax Sailing Club: The Highest in England
Nestled on the shore of Fly Flatts is the home of the Halifax Sailing and Watersports Club. Formed in 1959, this friendly, member-run club proudly claims the title of the highest sailing club in England. The altitude ensures that they enjoy clear, strong winds, making for some top-quality, if often challenging, dinghy sailing.
The club, which is an RYA Recognised Teaching Establishment, offers dinghy racing, windsurfing, stand up paddleboarding, and more, welcoming members of all ages. The sight of brightly coloured sails against the often deep, peat-stained waters and the wild moorland beyond, as seen in the photographs, is a distinctive feature of the Warley Moor landscape. The very elements that can make the moor feel remote—the altitude and the wind—are precisely what make this location an active and exhilarating water sports hub.
The Myth of 'Top Withins'
It's a testament to the wild, windswept nature of this high ground that locals in the area, particularly those from the nearby village of Wainstalls, sometimes refer to this upper moorland expanse as 'Top Withins'.
This local nickname is, of course, entirely distinct from the famous Top Withens ruin near Haworth, miles to the north, which is renowned worldwide for its association with Emily Brontë's novel, Wuthering Heights. The Brontë-land 'Top Withens' has become a place of literary pilgrimage. However, it’s understandable that the sheer isolation and dramatic beauty of the moorland above Wainstalls and Mixenden would also inspire a name suggesting the 'top of the willows' or simply, 'the highest place'—a perfect description for this high-altitude corner of Calderdale.
The photos perfectly capture this atmosphere: the wide, open sky, the dark blanket of cloud that seems to cling to the horizon, the heather and rough grasses, and the long, winding roads that disappear into the landscape. It is a place where you feel the scale of the Pennines and the resilience of those who live and play on them.
Whether you're visiting for the exhilarating sailing, a peaceful moorland walk, or simply to experience the dramatic, untamed nature of a West Yorkshire summer day, Warley Moor and Fly Flatts Reservoir offer a truly memorable slice of upland life.
I took these pictures with a Nikon d3300 on the 28th August 2016, clicking any of them should open a link in another window to my Colin Green Photography store on Zazzle.
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