In the heart of the Peak District National Park, my partner and I did a lovely 7.5-mile walk, starting at Ladybower Reservoir just off the A57. The route takes you up to Derwent Reservoir, then up to Pike Low. At 325-metres above sea level, you can experience great views across the Derwent Valley on a nice day. There are areas to park just off the road for free. If you would prefer to do a slightly shorter walk, you can park at Fairholmes Visitor Centre, costing ÂŖ5 for the day. Starting at the visitor car park will shorten the walk to a 5 mile and it will also miss out Ladybower Reservoir.
Location:
The walk starts just off the A57 on the road heading towards Fairholmes Visitor Centre (S33 0AQ) in the lovely Derwent Valley. It is a 1o mile drive from Glossop and a 10-mile drive from Sheffield. Along the road, there are parking areas for free. You can stop at any of these for the walk. We stopped roughly halfway down. The closer you drive towards Fairholmes Visitor Centre, the shorter your walk will be. There is a path that goes all along one side of Ladybower Reservoir that you can join at several different points along the road to Fairholmes Visitor Centre.
Parking
You can park your car in one of the free car parking spots along the road to Fairholmes Visitor Centre. We parked roughly halfway along the road. This will add a little extra mileage to your walk. If you want to shorten the route, park in the Fairholmes car park, costing ÂŖ5 for the day.
Visitor Centre:
Fairholmes visitor centre has toilet facilities, a shop, and a food kiosk that sells hot food, sandwiches, beverages, ice cream, and cakes. Opening times vary during winter and the summer months, closing 30 minutes each day for lunch. In the summer it’s open from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm on weekdays and 9.30 am to 5.30 pm on weekends and on bank holidays. In the winter months it’s open from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm on weekdays and 9.30 am to 4.30 pm on weekends. Please note, these times were valid at the time I wrote this blog.
Route:
Follow this map, as you walk the route, you shouldn’t get lost! Make sure your location is turned on and you should be able to see exactly where you are, on this map. Or if you prefer, download the GPX file and use it on your choice of route tracker.
Here is the step-by-step route we took. If you are walking the shortened version, please start at point 2.
1.
Take the path that leads down to Ladybower Reservoir. If there is not a path near where you have parked your car, walk along the tarmac path located next to the road in the direction towards Fairholmes Visitor Centre. Walk until you see a path that will take you down to the reservoir. Follow the path down to Fairholmes Visitor Centre. You should end up on the path next to the reservoir.
Ladybower Reservoir was built between 1935 and 1943. It was built by the Derwent Valley Water Board to supplement Howden and Derwent Reservoir. The reservoir supplies water to East Midlands.
2.
Walk past the visitor centre, turning right, follow the signpost to Derwent Dam. Walk along the grass path towards Derwent Dam and follow the steps up to the top. At the top, turn left and follow the path north that leads around the reservoir, until you reach a footpath going off to your right-hand side.
The Derwent Dam was constructed between 1901 and 1916. It was such a big project at the time; a village was constructed just for the workers called Birchinlee, located in the upper valley. At the same time building Derwent Dam, Howden Dam was built identically. Howden Dam is located above Derwent Reservoir.
3.
Take the path up the hillside until you reach a pile of rocks at the top, next to a path crossroads. Take a few minutes to stop and enjoy the view of the Derwent Reservoir and the valley. A perfect spot to stop for some lunch!
4.
Once your ready, facing the view of Derwent Reservoir, take the path on your left-hand side. Follow the path heading towards Pike Low.
5.
Once you reach the summit of Pike Low, continuing walking south, following the path to you see Ladybower Reservoir in the distance. Keep following the path as curves around the hillside, away from Ladybower Reservoir and north towards Derwent Dam. Eventually, the path should lead you out onto a tarmac road.
6.
Turn right on the tarmac road and follow the path north, towards Derwent Dam. This area should be familiar from earlier on in the walk. Take the steps down to the bottom of the dam and walk across the grass path to the road. Turn right and follow the road back to Fairholmes Visitor Centre. Perfect stop for ice cream! If you are walking the shorten version, this is where your route ends and you should have arrived back at your car.
7.
For the people who are walking the longer version of the route, head out of the visitor car park and walk along the tarmac path to you reach a car park. Take the path on your left-hand side that should lead you down to Ladybower Reservoir. Follow the path back to your car.
Enjoyed this walk and would like to do another walk in the Peak District National Park, please check out some of my other walk guides:
For more information on the Peak District National Park, please visit their website:
