Grafham Water

Grafham Water is a reservoir and nature reserve in Huntingdonshire, England, covering an area of 806 hectares. The water reaches depths of 21 meters (69 feet) and is encircled by a continuous walking path spanning 16 kilometers (10 miles).

Construction started in 1965 with an earth and concrete dam, and the reservoir filled by 1966. The project was built to supply water to surrounding regions and now ranks as the eighth largest reservoir in England by volume.

The name comes from the small village of Grafham that sits on the southern shore, predating the reservoir by many centuries. Today, walkers and cyclists follow the perimeter trail while anglers fish along the shoreline sections.

Several parking areas provide access to different sections of the perimeter path, and bicycles can be rented on-site. Cafés along the route offer rest stops, and bird observation points are scattered around the shoreline.

Great crested grebes and tufted ducks nest around the water, and in the late 2000s researchers documented the first population of killer shrimp in the United Kingdom here. These small invertebrates likely arrived in ballast water and quickly established themselves.