Ladybower Reservoir With Chris From Leeds

I woke up this morning feeling a bit rough; I had a headache caused by my stiff neck, and earache caused by a sinus infection. This happens quite regularly and so I knew that a couple of ibuprofen tablets would clear up the pain within half an hour.Whilst I was at it I also swallowed my other daily tablets, ranitidine for my acid reflux problem and two magnesium oxide tablets for the calf muscle cramp and spasms which I suffer from...and the two tablets to prevent the diarrhoea that the magnesium oxide tablets sometimes cause.

By 07:30 I was ready to start getting dressed, packing my rucksack, and grabbing a bit of something to eat.

As usual I met Chris at Fox House, from where we drove to Fearfall Wood in the Upper Derwent Valley. The photograph was taken from the grassy area just next to the car parking area.

We walked down to the water's edge and walked along the footpath for about half a mile before climbing up to the road and taking the footpath up through the woods, and then the path which eventually comes out on the Snake Path road. 

We crossed over the road and walked down the path and over the pretty bridge. I'm not sure which river flows beneath it, I think it's the Ashop, but it also could be the Alport; the two rivers meet a few hundred yards upstream.

We took the first footpath on the left and soon reached a canalised section of water which was very fast flowing...and eerily silent. As we continued along this path the river gradually got wider until it became the western arm of the reservoir. At one point we both nearly accidentally trod on a very well-camouflaged toad which was sitting in the middle of the track and in no hurry to go anywhere; that's why I could get a good close-up photograph.

There are some lovely views, with seats positioned at the best locations.

The rest of the route consisted of walking along the top of the dam wall, the footpath that goes past the toilets and car park at Heatherdene, alongside the reservoir and across the two viaducts.

Chris gave me a lift to the bus-stop at Bamford, where I only had twenty minutes to wait for the bus. When the bus had reached the bottom of Eccleshall Road in Sheffield a rather scruffy and dishevelled young man who had been sitting in the upper deck got off the bus. He had a very unusual hair-do which briefly got entangled up with one of the overhead hand grips; I'm describing it now as a 'Rasta-doughnut' style, but some other hikers on the bus were convinced that he had a cowpat precariously balanced on the top of his head.

I walked straight onto the waiting Bridlington train at the station; it left on time - but there were no lights working in the carriage.

Fairholmes, Ladybower Reservoir, Ashopton, Yorkshire Bridge, Bamford, and Hathersage

At the third attempt I managed to get to Fairholmes in the Upper Derwent Valley; the train from Doncaster to Sheffield was on time today. I did still get off to a bad start though, I forgot to pack my bottles of pop in my rucksack and so needed to buy something to drink at Sheffield station.

As I was walking towards the bus stop I stopped to take a picture of the Sheffield skyline today; the light was just right.

The number 273 bus was a few minutes late today; if this had been the case when the train from Doncaster was late I would have been able to catch the bus. At Fairholmes I visited the toilets and then tried to take some moody photographs of Ladybower Reservoir looking into the sun from a shady area...this didn't work at all though.

I then located the path that goes back down the valley through the woodland, close to the water's edge. After a few minutes I was able to take some photographs looking upstream, with the sun at my back.

As I was walking I was easily overtaken by a man who was harnessed to a very large dog - it seemed to be pulling him along at a far greater pace than any jogger would be running at.

For part of the route I was able to walk on the beach, right at the water's edge: I didn't dip my toe in because with it being a reservoir the water can be very deep even quite near to the shore, despite the water level being obviously quite low at this time of the year.

As I was crossing over Ashopton Viaduct, which carries the Snake Pass road over the reservoir, I nearly fell over onto my back as I tried to take a photograph of a low-flying Spitfire straight overhead...but I missed. 

There are some lovely views just beyond Ashopton, I think this one is my favourite.

I enjoyed a lollipop at the Heatherdene car park then walked along the road towards Bamford. By this time the sun had gone in and it was quite chilly, so I popped in to the Yorkshire Bridge Inn for a warming pot of tea. There's a lot to look at in this pub; plenty of paintings and photographs, historical farming implements and old household articles. There is a particularly impressive collection of tankards and chamber pots hanging from the rafters.

Next I decided to take a slightly longer route today so that I wouldn't have to walk along quite so much of this stretch of busy road; up a narrow country lane to open countryside, followed by a pleasant footpath going back downhill across fields.

I finished off the last of my sandwiches sitting on the benches at the village green in Bamford and then took a series of footpaths and country lanes to Hathersage; yet again there were some lovely views, this time of the Hope Valley, but the weather was really quite overcast by now.

The bus at Hathersage was fifteen minutes late and in his rush to make up lost time the driver forgot to stop at the church to let a passenger off. The frail old lady was very angry as she was forced to get off at the next stop, making a very rude gesture to the driver. A few stops later he deliberately didn't stop to pick up a couple of passengers who were clearly signalling for the bus to stop.

I don't think we made up any of the lost time; it didn't matter to me though because I still had ample time to catch the fast train back to Doncaster.

Ashopton, Crook Hill and Eventually to Hope.

Well...this hasn't happened before - I had to stand all the way on the bus to today's destination. Ashopton doesn't really exist anymore, most of the village was abandoned when the valley was flooded by the waters of Ladybower Reservoir in the 1940s; only a few scattered farmsteads remain.

I got off the bus on the main A57 road and walked across the viaduct to try and get some good photos; the lighting conditions were poor though - it was dark and murky and didn't really brighten up until lunchtime.

However; this picture turned out alright I suppose; the water was very still and reflected the shapes of the hillsides like a mirror.

Not long after crossing the viaduct, which takes the road over the northern arm of the reservoir, I turned in to the road which leads all the way up the Upper Derwent Valley, but soon found the first footpath that leads up towards Crook Hill. I was hoping to get good views of both arms of the reservoir from here, but unfortunately the summit isn't high enough. There are good views looking back down towards the viaduct though.

There was a bit of a climb up to Crookhill Farm and then a long section across grassland; including a brief diversion to the summit of the higher peak of Crook Hill.

I  walked alongside a pine plantation, then reached open country with stunning views, and soon descended to reach the Snake Pass road.

Next I had to climb up the other side of the valley, through another pine plantation to reach Hope Cross and then follow the Roman Road down to Hope; arriving with plenty of time to pop in the shop and enjoy a soothing pot of tea at one of the tearooms.

The journey on the bus into Sheffield was uneventful, however the journey on the train to Doncaster was very uncomfortable. There were only two carriages and we were packed in like sardines, having to stand in the aisles and gangways; so much so that the guard announced that the first class compartment had been declassified to allow a few extra people to sit down. The system for first class passengers to claim a refund seemed rather complicated and unfair though.

The Derbyshire Lake District: Fairholmes, Yorkshire Bridge and Bamford.

For today's walk I went to an area which is informally and unofficially referred to as Derbyshire's 'Lake District' - due to the large amount of water in the three reservoirs of the Upper Derwent Valley.

I got off the bus and walked to the visitor centre, used the toilets and went to the east tower of the Derwent Dam to take some photographs. The dam is an impressive structure, but none of my photographs could adequately show this. I then doubled back for a couple of hundred yards and climbed up the path through the wood to the western tower.

Inside the western tower there is a small museum dedicated to the 'Dambusters Squadron' which used these dams to practise flying low and dropping 'bouncing bombs'  in preparation for their attack on the Ruhr Valley Dams in Germany during the Second World War.

Nearby there are two memorials; one to the airmen and one to a very loyal dog - the inscription tells the story of 'Tip.'

I then continued along the track which runs alongside the western shore of the reservoir and after about a mile took a steep footpath up through the conifer plantation; eventually leading to a point where four footpaths meet. I chose to take the one leading westwards, going parallel to the Snake Pass road, which I crossed about a mile later just beyond Rowlee Farm. There were some spectacular views ahead of me on this section of the walk.

I was now approaching the headwaters of one of the arms of Ladybower Reservoir. It's just about the best time of the year for heather, so I took some photos featuring it.

As you can see from the next photo, the water level in the reservoir is quite low.

I continued through woodland and then a track suitable for vehicles until I reached the Ladybower Dam, the furthest South of the Upper Derwent Valley Dams, the newest, and the least spectacular (it's only earthen).

Finally I walked down the road to Bamford, passing Yorkshire Bridge en route.

Bamford, Yorkshire Bridge, Aston, Hope and Castleton.

I got off the bus at the bus-stop for Bamford railway station - this is as far as this service goes into the village. I had intended to walk a few hundred yards further into the village and take a path which leads past the old mill and across a footbridge and weir. I had to make other arrangements though; part of the footbridge had been washed away, last month it seems.

Fortunately, I only had to retrace my steps for a couple of minutes; but checking the map I realised I would have to walk right through the village and nearly a mile further until I'd be able to cross the River Derwent at Yorkshire Bridge.

Yorkshire Bridge has an interesting history and is unique in the Peak District. It was constructed as a planned village in the early decades of the twentieth century to house residents when the villages of Derwent and Ashopton were evacuated so that the Upper Derwent Valley could be flooded to form the Howden, Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs.

I then climbed and subsequently descended the path which leads to Aston, the last few hundred yards being along a sunken lane with many wildflowers blooming on the steep verges. The next stage of the walk was across fields and along a short stretch of the River Noe to reach Hope, where I stopped for a cup of tea at one of the tea rooms located next to a pub.

It was then a short easy stroll to Castleton, with pleasing views of Lose Hill and the Great Ridge.