Freedom & Friends at Derwent Edge and Ladybower Reservoir Day Walk

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Lowland and Hill Walks
Jan 22
2022

20 people attending

1 place left

Your price
£12.50
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Easy Moderate Very Hard
10 miles / 16km - 5 hours - a bit of steep terrain

Join us for a really enjoyable, spring walk around the lovely Ladybower Reservoir and Derwent Edge.  The reservoir is situated in the Upper Derwent Valley in the Peak District National Park and boasts spectacular views and has a very interesting history.

Ladybower Reservoir covers two former villages, which were known as Ashopton and Derwent.  In the late 1800s Parliament passed an Act, which authorised the creation of the three reservoirs and that was to be the end of village life as the locals knew it.  The locals were re-housed nearby and bodies from the local cemetery were exhumed and re-settled in Bamford.  Today, in dry conditions, parts of Derwent can still be seen.

Derwent Dam was used by World War II Fighter Pilots in Lancaster Bombers as practise runs for the German Dambuster attacks.

Taking in views of the Dam, we head up hill and walk around the tree lined road and track which runs alongside Lady Bower Reservoir.

From the reservoir, we head in an easterly direction to the Summit known as “Lost Lad” it is approximately 538 metres height (named after the Legend of a Lost Shepherd boy, whose body was allegedly found by a passing Shepherd).   There is a spectacular viewpoint from there and the views are rich and varied.

From Lost Lad, we head along Derwent Edge.  The views of Ladybower reservoir and of the surrounding peaks are truly breath taking from up there.  As we walk along Derwent Edge, there are some very interesting grit stone tors, named locally as “Cakes of Bread”, “The Coach and Horses”  and the “ Salt Cellar”.

Much of the moorland around Derwent Edge has been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its special vegetation and rare birds and animals such as Eurasian Golden Plover, Red Grouse, Ring Ouzel and Mountain Hare.  Derwent Edge also homes rare species of plants such as Common Cottongrass, Mountain Strawberry and Crowberry.

From Derwent Edge, we head down a footpath and take in breathe taking views of the reservoir to our left and Derwent Edge to our Right.  The footpath then passes alongside forest  land and eventually meets the a road, leading us back to the Visitor Centre. 

The approximate length of the route is 10miles / 16km, and has some steep hills in parts and is classed as moderate.

We will be stopping for lunch (roughly half way and weather permitting).

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Image Credits: All photos are provided by the event leader and permission for their re-use is granted to OutdoorLads.

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