Wednesday Wandering: Ladybower

July 8, 2020.

BRIDGE END, HAGG SIDE, ROWLEE PASTURE, ALPORT CASTLE, BIRCHENLEE PASTURE, DERWENT RESERVOIR, SLIPPERY STONES, COLD SIDE, HOWDEN RESERVOIR, HOWDEN DAM, DERWENT DAM, FAIRHOLMES VISITOR CENTRE, LADYBOWER RESERVOIR

Distance: 13 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Cloudy with early mist: mainly dry with light drizzle.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Top Cunliffe with Daisy, Alan Hart, John Jones, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney, Dean Taylor, George Whaites.

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison and Lawrie Fairman.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett and Alastair Cairns (isolating in Silverdale), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (isolating in Poynton), Julian Ross (hols in Wirral), Keith Welsh (hols in Devon)

Leader: Cunliffe. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Bridge End car park, Ladybower Reservoir, Bamford. Alternative starting point: Fairholmes Visitors Centre, Bamford.

Starting time: 9.59am. Alternative starting time: 10.10am.Finishing time: 2.55pm.

In keeping with the lockdown social distancing rules, we immediately split into two groups of three and five for this clockwise walk around the Derwent, Howden and Ladybower Reservoirs. Needless to say this was purely accidental. Tom discovered his chosen starting point at the Fairholmes Visitors Centre had a pay-and-display car park. He elected to start instead from an alternative free car park a mile away, failing to notice that this car park had also been converted to pay-and-display in the 20 years since he had last visited it.

In the resulting confusion George, Tom and your diarist awaited in vain for latecomers at the Bridge End car park, whilst the other five wanderers, having passed the lay-by before Tom arrived, continued beyond Bridge End to park freely at a lay-by nearer the visitors centre. The situation was further complicated by the lack of phone signals in the area.

Happily the mobile blackout ended after half an hour when JJ managed to contact your diarist. They were already hot on our heels so we were able to await their arrival. The following descriptions and timings represent those of the leading trio.

Following last week's journey from Eyam, the historic plague village, on this occasion we were in the presence, so to speak, of more modern history.

In 1943 the RAF 617 Squadron led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, used Derwent Dam to prepare for the famous Dam Buster raids on Germany's Ruhr Valley. Lancaster bombers practised flying just 60 feet above the water in the Upper Derwent Valley so they could deliver the bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis.

Using two spotlights on the nose and tail which converged at an altitude of exactly 60 feet they were able to maintain their low-level attacks below the Nazis' anti-aircraft fire. Their bombs skimmed the water in front of the German dams before sinking and exploding next to them.

The Upper Derwent Valley is still used by the RAF for low-level flying practice.

From the side of the Bridge End car park we headed uphill along a public bridle path through conifers. After going through a wooden gate (17mins) we swung right with trees on our right and the valley to our left. We crossed a wooden stile at the right fork in the paths (29mins) and turned right briefly before heading left uphill (31mins) towards a ladder stile. It was at this point we heard from the lost legion and waited 18 minutes for them to reach us (49mins)

We now crossed the ladder stile, keeping a drystone wall on our left as we went through a wooden gate (56mins) into Rowlee Pasture.

We continued to walk to the right of a drystone wall until it became broken and low enough for us to step to its left (86mins). This path then took us towards the impressive looking but deceptive Alport Castle ahead.

The “castle” is in fact an Ice Age landslip more than half a mile long. Some of that erosion left behind piles of debris which from a distance gives the appearance of a castle.

On reaching a vantage point overlooking the part of the “castle” known as The Tower (99mins) we stopped for pies, port and damson gin kindly provided by Chris. Resuming we walked along a trodden path directly away from Alport Castle, soon reaching a number of grouse butts (106mins)

We continued, passing through a wooden gate into a wood (117mins) and reached a T-junction of paths.

Turning right across a stream (125mins) we then swung left over a bridge (126mins) and turned left along a road (128mins). Derwent Reservoir was now on our right. Continuing along the road we went through a wooden gate (163mins) and followed a bridleway to Slippery Stones.

At a fork we continued ahead along the cycle path (180mins) and reached a stone bridge at Slippery Stones (184mins) where we stopped for a brief lunch.

Resuming on the far side of the bridge we followed the cycle route as it went left then swung right to follow the reservoir on our right. We reached Howden Dam (230mins) and carried on with Derwent Reservoir now replacing Howden Reservoir on our right.

As we approached Derwent Dam, built in 1916, we forked right at a gate marked with a yellow arrow (262mins) and then followed stone steps down the far side of the dam to pass plaques informing us of The Dam Busters' connection.

Reaching the road next to The Fairholmes Visitors Centre (272mins) we turned left along the road, reaching Bridge End Car Park on our right (285mins). After de-booting we drove to The Ladybower pub at Bamford for pints of real ale – our first drink together since lockdown !

Meanwhile alternative walkers Colin Davison and Lawrie Fairman had walked from Taddington to Millers Dale past Litton to Cresswell Dale and back over hills to Taddington. They totalled nine miles in dry weather.

Next week's main walk will start at 9.30am from the road towards Strines from Marple which swings right after crossing the road-bridge over the Peak Forest Canal. We will be walking for 10 miles through Strines, Brook Bottom, Mousely Bottom with Pietime at Hague Bar and a livener around 12.30pm at The Devonshire Arms, Mellor, before returning via Linnet Clough.

Happy wandering !

Pictures by Alan Hart