[See Part #3 for Summary & Detail on the 2 streams that constitute the source of Ouse Dyke]

Part #3 brought the story of Ouse Dyke from it’s sources up to an old bridge across the lowest point of Lambley Lane. The bridge used to carry the Lane across the Dyke, and the stream still flows in a culvert below that bridge. That culvert follows the course of the original stream through modern housing north of All Hallows Church. I met residents living close-by that recall the original stream as lads & they confirmed each length & dog-leg on it’s way to Willow Park.

From the bridge the stream flowed at the bottom of the South Recreation Park; the culvert today (and the stream yesterday) travels under a walk between #122 & #124 that lets folks get to the Park from Lorimer Avenue.

Here is the bridge, the path of the culvert/stream through the Park & the walk to Lorimer Avenue:–

Almost exactly opposite the walk that connects to the Park from Lorimer Avenue is yet another walk that connects through to Hereford Road. That walk opens out onto a large tarmacked area at the end of the cul-de-sac and just beyond that is an even larger grassed area. Sure enough, the local knowledge is that this was where the stream did a dog-leg turn, so it’s not too surprising that there are 3 manhole-covers at the centre of the dog-leg, and that the culvert once again simply follows the line of the original stream, at the end travelling under Saltford Close until it emerges as an open stream again for a little way .

Here is the second walk, part of the large tarmacked area (viewed from the end of Ullswater Close) with the man-hole covers, the long green and the beginning of the open stream (which has been landscaped at his own cost by the chap in the house alongside):–

And finally, this open section of Ouse Dyke goes back into a culvert for a little way before it emerges into Willow Park as an open stream once again. It becomes culverted near the top of a private drive. Even the householder at the top did not know that it was there, but I found it!

The path of Ouse Dyke is well mapped following it’s passage through Willow Park, so my search for the source of Ouse Dyke + subsequent mapping is completed.

Update 4 July 2022

Mapillary has changed it’s download URLs & therefore all links within my diaries that used photos stored in Mapillary in the old format are broken. I’m slowly going through to update them. The new URLs are terrifyingly long, but show OK on my screen (and I hope also on yours).