Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill.
Ten miles and five hours on forest tracks and reservoir roads up the length of Derwent and Howden to the packhorse bridge at Slippery Stones, with barely 260 metres of climbing spread over the lot. Start at Fairholmes visitor centre, where the pay car park fills by mid-morning and the valley road above closes to cars at weekends and bank holidays, with a shuttle bus running instead. Severn Trent asks for dogs to be on a lead at all times here because of the wildlife, the shallow river above Slippery Stones is the one safe place for a swim as the reservoirs themselves are steep-sided and dangerous, and the cafe kiosk at Fairholmes has water and trail maps.
Four and a quarter miles and about two and a half hours for the best view-to-effort ratio in the Peak, looking straight down on Ladybower from a gritstone rim 260 metres above the valley. Start from the free roadside lay-bys on New Road above Bamford, which hold perhaps twenty cars in total and are full by nine on any fine day; parking on the verges beyond them causes real problems for residents. The edge is unfenced with a sheer drop in places and the moor behind is open access land where a fixed two-metre lead is required from 1 March to 31 July for the ground-nesting birds and at all times near the sheep, and there is no water on the top at all.
Three reservoirs, the Dambusters dam at Derwent and a network of surfaced tracks that suit wheels and old legs, from the quarter-mile walk to Ladybower's plugholes up to the ten-mile Slippery Stones circuit. Severn Trent, who own it, require dogs to be kept on a lead at all times because of the wildlife and stock. Note there is no full walking circuit of Ladybower itself - the A57 has no footway - so park at Heatherdene or Fairholmes and use the marked trails.
Derbyshire's first community-owned pub, bought by 380 villagers in 2013, and still the village post office and cafe as well as the bar. Dog friendly is listed among its facilities, and the cafe side makes it a daytime option as much as an evening one. Large outdoor seating area and a car park behind, five minutes from Ladybower.
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