Ogden Water can be found just off the A629 Keighley Road, Ogden it is approximately 5 miles from Halifax and 2 miles from Denholme. As you approach you have to keep an eye out for the brown tourism signs as Ogden Lane can be easily missed, it is only a small country road. At the end of the lane you will find some car parks with spaces for disabled that at times can get quite full as it is a popular area with 250,000 visitors per year. Parking cost 50p and unusually in these time works on an honesty system, so please dont abuse it and pay up.
The site is owned by Yorkshire Water who has done an excellent job of providing some nice walks around the area. The friends of Ogden Water who are a voluntary group also assist the Calderdale Rangers in the upkeep of the area with all this hard work being acknowledged with the site being a Green Flag award winner.
If you start your walk by going right out of the car park you are straight into the woodlands and head off down towards the reservoir. If you go left and go out the way you entered the car park and follow the road down towards the reservoir you will go down past the visitor centre, small caf, shop and toilets (disabled toilets are available). There is also a picnic area where you can let the kids run around or just relax and feed the birds.
Waterside and woodland walks around the reservoir are nice and easy thanks to the nice paths that have been laid. Wheelchair access is very good with over 2km of paths, but I think the woodland area would be a good work as there are some hills to negotiate. There is an option to hire a wheelchair on site if you do not fancy taking your around the trails.
Dotted all around the site there are wood carvings of different things which the kids like to try spot and make their walk that little bit more enjoyable. Also there are plenty of places to rest or just sit down and take in the view as plenty of seats provided all around the site. One oversight in the area is the lack of places for rubbish but luckily this is not a problem with people taking it with them instead of discarding it.
There are some very diverse habitats around the reservoir and the surrounding 60 hectare area of woodland. This includes upland streams, the woodland including coniferous plantation, upland oak woodland and wet woodland, heather moorland, blanket bog and acid grassland.
If you like to do a bit of bird watching or photography then there are plenty of resident birds around to keep you happy. A list of sightings can be found down at the visitors centre. Resident birds include Mallard, Grey Heron, Kestrel, Tawny Owl, Red Grouse, Pheasant, Green Woodpecker, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Tree Creeper, Jay and Twife. Some of the regular visitors are Dipper, Curlew, Crossbill, Great Crested Grebe, King Fisher, Oyster Catcher, Redwing and Golden Plover.
The site also provides opportunities for orienteering, with a fully mapped course being available as well as organised educational activities and classroom facilities. The classroom facility is available for hire for business meetings, conferences, community meetings etc.
Ogden Water offers a lot and you should be able to find something to do there, it is a nice place to visit and worth the effort to get there. Allow plenty of time as there is loads of walking and sitting to be done. Now and again there are events held there these include things like Father Christmas visits, Halloween events, Evening talks in the schoolroom, Photographic competition and Walks so enjoy your visit.