SUMMER IN SUSSEX
Summer might mean the seaside for many, but it’s also possible to enjoy time inland at the waters edge this July, as Robert Veitch discovers
ACROSS the water
BEWL WATER
Volume: 31,000,000 litres Area: 760 acres Current Status: 90% full Parking: £5 for the day
Back in July 1968, when the Queen had been on the
throne barely 16 years she gave Royal assent to the Medway Water Act which led to the creation of what is known today as Bewl Water. Groundwork on the 900m long dam, impounding the
River Bewl began five years later. The facility opened in 1975 as Bewl Bridge Reservoir, although the name changed during one of the intervening anniversaries to mark the Queen’s accession. By volume, it’s the 19th largest reservoir in England and 30m (90 feet) deep at the deepest point. Old homes and roads lay deep beneath the surface ripples. It’s a misconception that Bewl is in Kent; in reality it’s entirely in Sussex, but terribly close to the border. Why visit? There are water sports, angling, an adventure playground, nature reserves and a delightful 12½ mile way-
marked perimeter path. Little Known Fact: It cost £11 million to build in 1973. In modern money that’s around £135-£145 million Pointless Trivia: It’s estimated the volume of water at Bewl could fit inside Loch Ness 24,000 times. THE RIVER OUSE At Barcombe Mills
Elevation: 7m (23 feet) Source to Sea: 35 miles (56km) Parking: Free car park on Barcombe Mills Road
The upper tidal limit of the River Ouse is a dozen miles inland at Barcombe Mills and Sea Trout are known to frequent the pools beneath the spillways.
July 2021 | SUSSEX LIVING 29
