Who let the water out again!Mooragh Park contains conveniently Mooragh Lake, otherwise known as the boating lake. I know it's hard to believe as it's so shallow but normally you can see canoeists and very small sail boats on the lake. If you have read any of my earlier posts you will also know I am one of the locals of that have actually swam in this lake. Not by choice may I add. Capsizing out of a canoe fully clothed taking a swim in the blackness of the water below and climbing back into the canoe fully sized and sopping wet is well no fun. I hasten to add it was most definitely unintentional and in much deeper water than this. You can see why we need a lot of rainfall here.
Can you believe at one time this area was a 200 acre tidal swamp. In 1881 the Ramsey Town Commissioners purchased the land for the princely sum of £1,200 with the idea of creating a pleasure park. Now we are not talking Disney World or Central Park, but 6 years later the park was opened. We still have the boating lake, two cafes, crazy golf, crown green bowling, wooded area, grassy area, skateboard park, kiddies playground and tennis court. The lake is the dominant part if the park being viewed from any part of the park. As you can see I have actually taken this image close on the edge of the lake looking towards Ramsey Town with North Barrule Mountain in the background on a very sunny day. As much as I hate to say this as it's so lovely to have the sunshine we could do with one very heavy downpour just to top up that lake. After all I might need to go swimming again when I fall out of a canoe. It's dark too when it's full. Can't see a thing. No sharks though, well only the financial ones. I dedicate this post to Jim and Sally who very kindly(OK nagged me so much by email) to " show the lake we used to canoe on as kids" again please. There you are then. A wide shot as requested. You never did say if you two fell in,... er I mean went for a well intentioned swim in the Lake? Let me know.
Can you believe at one time this area was a 200 acre tidal swamp. In 1881 the Ramsey Town Commissioners purchased the land for the princely sum of £1,200 with the idea of creating a pleasure park. Now we are not talking Disney World or Central Park, but 6 years later the park was opened. We still have the boating lake, two cafes, crazy golf, crown green bowling, wooded area, grassy area, skateboard park, kiddies playground and tennis court. The lake is the dominant part if the park being viewed from any part of the park. As you can see I have actually taken this image close on the edge of the lake looking towards Ramsey Town with North Barrule Mountain in the background on a very sunny day. As much as I hate to say this as it's so lovely to have the sunshine we could do with one very heavy downpour just to top up that lake. After all I might need to go swimming again when I fall out of a canoe. It's dark too when it's full. Can't see a thing. No sharks though, well only the financial ones. I dedicate this post to Jim and Sally who very kindly(OK nagged me so much by email) to " show the lake we used to canoe on as kids" again please. There you are then. A wide shot as requested. You never did say if you two fell in,... er I mean went for a well intentioned swim in the Lake? Let me know.
68 comments:
Fascinating, as always!
Thanks for the info, it's always nice to learn something new every day.
Breathtaking view!
Thank for for visiting Gliwice Daily Photo.
Greetings form Poland :)
It is so low.
Always a great post, its a pleasure to visit.
#Great shots and info.
Always a great post, its a pleasure to visit.
#Great shots and info.
Now this is what I call an interesting post.
And a very nice photo too.
By the way ... still wondering how you beaten me with your early comment on my photo of ice tea :) that was quick as lightning!
Ferreira- Manx Fairy Magic of course.
Beautiful shot, I love the reflection of the sun on the water.
Regina In Pictures
It doesn't sound nice: swimming in the lake fully clothed. Thanks for sharing every beautiful spot on your island.
Beautiful shot and interesting to be able to see the rim where it's low on water. I hope you do get some rain soon. I have gotten to where I love rainy days because we had a long drought from 2007 to spring 2008. We pulled out of it but I am left thinking of rainy days as pretty ones after the long water shortage.
Fun post. Does it attract birds and other wildlife?
You call that low? There is still wate in it. Recently someone opened the sluice gate of the ornamental lake in Adelaide's premier park to flush out some blue green algae and, hey presto!, drained the whole lake leaving diverse car wrecks, shopping trolleys, bikes etc and a lot of most ungainly mud in our show case, as well as all the boats stranded just befor a major festival!
We all had a great lough at the discomfityre of the city fathers.
Kathie-Plenty of birds but I've yet to see the escaped wallaby.
the reflection of the sun on the water, the colour , it's very very nice!! very good job!!
What a beautiful lake, and the photo is gorgeous!
I've tipped a canoe in freezing weather; God I'll never forget it. Getting back to dry land, then back to the house, and finally into dry clothes to try to warm up, I remember every... single... slow... step. Stay warm and dry now! LOL
Babooshka: Neat story and an interesting post on your old swimming hole. We went rafting this Summer and had one canoe which my Son-in Law managed to capsize fooling around.
I have fallen out of a canoe too. It seemed to happen in slow motion and was quite a shock, even though the water was summer warm. Beautiful photo and interesting post.
Rain's a mixed blessing, isn't it? We'd all like it to follow the Camelot rules, and (sing) never rain 'til after sundown ...
I should know what to call those sunbeams, too, from all my SkyWatching on Friday. Crepuscular rays?
I do hope you get some rainfall soon. Fantastic shot of the lake. It looks beautiful!
I love the photo. You must have been scared to have to swing and get back in you boat.
Taking a header in that water wouldn't be any fun! But it's a beautiful place.
Pretty photo with the sunrays and the red structures in the background.
Hope you get some rain to fill up the lake.
Always a good to visit your site--I come away with something new everytime.
Thanks for sharing the beauty in your world. Happy week!
B. I see you haven't been around on Facebook or any blogs recently. Say the laptop hasn't let you down.
That's a beautiful photo. So sad that the water level is down, though. Do you have a 'rainy season'?
We are very dry here, too. We are way behind on our snowfall and we won't have our monsoons until July and August.
Thanks for sharing,
~Lisa
New Mexico, USA
Very sad to see water that low.
I remember having to do the tip test in a canoe in a gungy lake when I was a girl scout.
always running out of water...I'm glad somebody notices tho..
truly stunning. It is very hard to believe this was a tidal swamp.
I can just picture the scene when a fully clothed, soaking wet Babooshka came spluttering to the surface all full of righteous indignation.
Then again, the unintentional dip I took in Falls Lake would probably compare favorably. And I was fishing! From the shore!
Thanks for this beautiful picture of the lake. Thanks, too, for the history of the park. I hope you do get some rain, but I hope don't feel obligated to take another swim!
Thank you for this interesting post! I hope you get some sain soon!
Have a nice week!
Very cool pic, and a very entertaining post!
What a wonderful boating experience you had! Do a happy rain dance soon.....
Love the that reflection and color.
A beautiful area!!. It looks indeed inviting for going out with the canoe and I hope that there will not be too many commercial activities going on, which so easily spoil could such an area.
love the composition
Great pic and view!
Really find the history interesting, i must try an add more of that on my posts
superb composition and interesting info
The soft ripples are so calming... Ahhh! I want to sit on the shore.. even if it is low low water...
je ferais bien une promenade le long de ce chemin.
So long since I was up the Mooragh, so long since I was in Ramsey. Forgot what I was missing.
Well I guess it was sink or swim. Love you sence of humor;) Thank's for the visit;)
A swamp in your area? Just sounds so wierd! As always, very interesting commentary and fantastic photo. How lucky you are to have grown up and continue to live in such a scenic place!
Very pretty and interesting!
Super shot----again. Fascinating info as usual. that's why we keep coming back. LOL MB
Marvelous :)
Looks as if it is a beautiful parc !
Now if you lived in Okieland you'd have a proper excuse for not swimming in the lake - water moccasins! The development sounds like fun, I love crazy golf, now I just play it on a Wii!!
An unplanned swim like that does not sound fun! Pretty photo. :)
Beautiful....
I like the light on the water.
I´ve also capsized with many kind of boats including a canoe. It´s always so refreshing!
From my experience, it wasn't so bad falling out of the canoe but damn hard getting back in!
From my experience, it wasn't so bad falling out of the canoe but damn hard getting back in!
not read the other comments - it seems a lot of reservoirs are quite low at present - the ones i;ve been snapping recently anyway.
Interesting post. The lake doesn't look that bad but I have seen bigger ones.
Loved this post, Babooshka. The story about the lake, the park and even the part about you falling into the lake. But I AM sorry you fell in. ;-)
Oh I'm sure falling fully clothed into some black water of a lake is not that much fun ... except for the onlookers of course.
Lovely sunny shot and I can see how some heavy rain is called for. Looks like a bad drought to me ... ha ha.
Curious about the very pink things in the background, or are they just tricks of the bright sun beams?
How lucky you are to have such a lovely place to visit and enjoy! Babooshka, I know exactly what it's like to top over in a canoe fully dressed, have to swim for it, and get back in the canoe... in one trip down the Delaware River, my husband and I tipped over 3 times!!! Don't ask! LOL!
Your shot of the lake looks very romantic but I don't think I'd enjoy swimming in it
Oh, how I'd love to canoe too, but the 'falling out into the water' part makes me nervous; I'm not a good swimmer.
Beautiful photo. Shallow water is fine with me--I don't swim well.
Great composed. Very fine lines and great depth.
Beautiful lake. A good place to view the sunset/sunrise.
Falling out of a canoe into was used to be a swamp. That's the stuff horror movies are made of. Good thing it turned out ok
Wonderful post!
We have too much rain and so many places have too little..not fair. I must say that my sister and I loved to 'fall' out of the rowboat on the pond at my grandparents...They hated it..we loved it..Hee..Hee
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