History of Talkin Tarn Country Park
Talkin - Talcan.
The name Talkin is derived from the Celtic 'Talcan'
meaning brow of a hill.
The word 'Tarn' is Norse in origin, 'Tjorn'
meaning tear drop or small lake.
Old buckles, stone axes and urns have been found in the
area.
Formation of the Tarn.
Talkin Tarn is a kettle-hole lake formed by the immense force of
glaciers 18,000 years ago. Moving ice scoured and carved the
landscape leaving glacial sand hills and a natural bowl, which
filled with water as the huge amounts of ice melted.
Watersports
Talkin Tarn has been used for hundreds of years for water
sports. The picture shows one of the annual Rowing Regattas, still
held every year at Talkin Tarn Country Park on the first Saturday
in July.
While open water swimming is only carried out by triathletes
these days, in the past a bathing hut on stilts was located on the
tarn edge, complete with jetty and diving platform.