Lakeside Nature Reserve (Gold Valley) has been shaped by gravel extraction dug in the 1950s; afterwards the area was abandoned and re-claimed by nature. The Blackwater Valley Road (A331) built in the 1980s and 90s transformed the landscape and led to the creation of new nature reserves.

The Blackwater Valley Road (A331) built in the 1980s and 90s runs underneath the Basingstoke Canal at Ash Vale. This required the construction of an aqueduct which was in keeping with the surrounding landscape of the Blackwater Valley and, at the same time, retaining the existing toe path.  The elegant solution was for a construction made of hidden engineering supported by steel ropes in a tension spiral contained within the toe paths.

The Blackwater Valley path is a long distance route following the Surrey, Hampshire & Berkshire borders. Go to www.blackwater-valley.org.uk