Cow Green Reservoir, Upper Teesdale
High in Upper Teesdale, Cow Green Reservoir feels like the landscape opens up and takes a deeper breath. The road climbs into wider skies, the trees begin to fall away, and what replaces them is space, silence, and a feeling that you are heading somewhere different.
Cow Green is not just a reservoir. It is one of the wildest and most distinctive places in Teesdale, where calm water, dark Whin Sill rock, old mining remains, and the force of the River Tees all come together in one exposed upland setting. For some people, it is a quiet place for a slower walk beside the water. For others, it is the starting point for Cauldron Snout, mine walks, and bigger routes into the surrounding moorland.
What makes Cow Green special is that it never feels one dimensional. It is peaceful, but never dull. Open, but full of detail. Human shaped, yet still deeply wild. The longer you spend here, the more the place starts to reveal itself.
Parking and access
Parking for Cow Green Reservoir is at DL12 0HX, at the large car park at Wheelhead Sike near the top of the reservoir. It’s a good sized car park with plenty of space, even on busier days.
About Cow Green Reservoir
Cow Green Reservoir was built between 1967 and 1971 to help regulate the flow of the River Tees, supporting water supply further downstream during drier periods. Unlike the older reservoirs lower in the dale, Cow Green belongs to a later chapter in Teesdale’s story, one tied to post war industry, water management, and one of the most debated landscape changes in the area.
Today, the reservoir feels settled into its surroundings, but its history runs much deeper than the still water suggests. This was once the centre of fierce arguments over conservation, development, and the future of Upper Teesdale. The result is the landscape you see now: a vast high level reservoir sitting among moorland, rare plant habitat, old mine workings, and the dramatic drop of Cauldron Snout below the dam.
It is also a place where geology feels close at hand. The dark Whin Sill rock around Cow Green helped shape the valley, the river, and the waterfall below. In every direction, the landscape tells a story, if you are willing to slow down and notice it.
The Story of Cow Green
Cow Green is not only a scenic place to visit. It is also one of the most important modern landscape stories in Upper Teesdale, shaped by protest, engineering, and change.
History of Cow Green Reservoir
Learn how Cow Green Reservoir came to be, from early plans and local debate to one of the most important conservation stories in Upper Teesdale. This page explains how the landscape changed, what was lost, and why the reservoir still matters today.
Walks from Cow Green Reservoir
Cow Green is one of the best places in Upper Teesdale to begin a walk. Some routes are simple and rewarding, while others feel far more adventurous and remote. Together, they show just how varied this landscape can be.
Cauldron Snout Walk from Cow Green
This short but memorable walk leads from the reservoir to one of the most powerful waterfalls in England. With open views, dark Whin Sill rock, and the growing sound of the River Tees, it’s a route that feels simple at first, then increasingly wild as you approach the falls.
Cow Green Mine History Walk
This out and back walk follows old moorland tracks through a quieter side of Cow Green, linking together the remains of West Cow Green, Dubbysike, and Green Hurth. It is one of the most rewarding ways to understand the area’s hidden industrial past.
Cow Green to Cauldron Snout Challenging Circular Walk
This longer and much tougher circular route is for confident walkers looking for a more rugged side of Upper Teesdale. With steep rocky ground, rough riverside sections, open moorland, and big views, it offers a far wilder experience of the Cow Green landscape.
Mining History Around Cow Green
Long before the reservoir was built, this high moorland was already a working landscape. Scattered across the slopes around Cow Green are the remains of old lead and barytes mines, from hidden shafts and hushes to ruined buildings, adits, and water powered systems.
Some sites are subtle and easy to walk past without noticing. Others still hold striking remains that reveal just how much industry once existed here. Together, these pages build a fuller picture of Cow Green as more than a reservoir alone.
East Cow Green Mine
A quieter and more fragmented mine landscape east of the reservoir, with hidden openings, a quarry, a shaft, an old magazine, and a building that adds mystery to the moorland.
West Cow Green Mine
A subtle but important part of the wider Cow Green mining area, where hushes, shafts, and scattered remains hint at a much larger system, much of which now lies beneath the reservoir.
Dubbysike Mine
One of the most fascinating mine sites near Cow Green, with surface buildings, ore processing remains, hidden lower workings, level entrances, and remarkable waterwheel remains further down the slope.
Green Hurth Mine
One of the most fascinating mine sites near Cow Green, with visible buildings near the track and a much larger hidden landscape beyond. Lower down the slope, level entrances, waterwheel remains, and old workings reveal the true scale of the site.
A Quiet Detail in the Landscape
Cow Green is made up not only of big views and major stories, but also of smaller features that help the place feel real and layered.
The Old Boathouse at Cow Green Reservoir
A small stone building that sits quietly within the landscape, often missed by visitors. Once part of the working life of the reservoir, it adds a subtle but important human layer to Cow Green’s story.
A place to slow down
What stays with us most about Cow Green is not only the scale of it, but the feeling.
There is room here to walk without rushing, to stop without feeling hurried on, and to notice things that would be easy to miss elsewhere. The stillness of the reservoir, the sound of the dam, the dark rock near Cauldron Snout, the broken remains of old mines on the hillside, and the wide open sky above it all give this place a depth that builds slowly.
Cow Green is not just somewhere to tick off. It is somewhere to return to, to understand a little more each time.
Whether you come here for the waterfall, the walks, the history, the geology, or simply the quiet, it is one of the most distinctive places in Upper Teesdale, and one that rewards anyone willing to take their time.
Explore more in Teesdale
If you’re exploring Cow Green, there’s plenty more to discover across Teesdale. Each reservoir has its own feel, from quiet woodland edges to wide open moorland.
Reservoirs of Teesdale
Or continue exploring the wider area through our main guide:
Discover Teesdale