Derwent Valley

  

DERWENT EDGE

 

December 1, 2021

 

FAIRHOLMES VISITOR CENTRE IN THE DERWENT VALLEY, DERWENT DAM, ABBEY BROOK, LITTLE HOWDEN MOOR, LOST LAD, BACK TOR, CAKES OF BREAD, DOVESTONE TOR, WHEELSTONES, LADYBOWER RESERVOIR 

 

 

 

Distance: 8.5 miles​​Ascent/descent: 1,655 feet

 

Difiiculty: Moderate

 

Weather: Mainly bright with rain at start and one short shower. Cold wind on ridge.

 

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Micky Barrett, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney, Dean Taylor, Dave Willetts, Cliff Worthington

 

Apologies: Alan Hart (Barbados), George Dearsley (Turkey), John Jones (Madeira), Mark Gibby (medical appointment), Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe, Keith Welsh, Hughie Hardiman (various commitments)

 

Leader: Beal​​Diarist: Beal

 

Starting point: Fairholmes Visitor Centre, Derwent Valley

 

Starting time: 9.59 am​Finishing time: 1.35 pm

 

 

 

Despite the start from one of the Wanderers’ more distant rendezvous points and a far from encouraging weather forecast eight walkers enjoyed this route through a valley steeped in recent history and along Derwent Edge.

 

The two-mile long ridge is dotted with a series of rock outcrops weathered in to fantastic shapes by the erosion of wind and rain and all given imaginative names over the years.

 

We also had good views over the eastern Peak District hills from our route, which at one point had us straying over the county boundary from Derbyshire in to South Yorkshire.

 

Our chosen starting point was the Fairholmes Visitor Centre near the head of the Ladybower reservoir, but we all managed to find free parking at a spot two hundred yards before the Centre on the right of the road. Seven of us strolled down the road to the starting point where we were delayed briefly by a sudden downpour demanding the donning of waterproofs. This was as well as it allowed latecomer Chris to catch up with us, having taken a wrong turning. This was not the only mishap to befall him during the day.

 

We took a path north from the visitor centre which took us to the foot of the massive stone-built Derwent Dam. The two reservoirs of Derwent and Howden above it, were built between 1901 and 1916. The hamlet of Birchinlee became a settlement known as ‘Tin Town’ which at the height of the construction was home to more than 2,000 ‘navvies’ and their families. Only slight traces of it now remain on the west bank of the reservoir.

 

The Derwent and Howden dams were later to become well-known as the site of the training flights for Bomber Command’s 617 Squadron ‘Dambuster’ raids on the dams of the Ruhr Valley, where the geography was similar to that of Derwent. It was here that the Lancaster bombers practised their approach runs at a precarious height of only 60 feet above the surface of the water – a feat previously thought impossible. Impressive Lancaster flypasts are still periodically staged to mark important anniversaries of the raids.

 

Much of the footage of the subsequent 1955 film of the operation, starring Richard Todd as Wing Commmander Guy Gibson and Michael Redgrave as ‘bouncing bomb’ designer Barnes Wallis, was shot in the valley.

 

We slanted left across the foot of the dam towards its east tower, where a steep flight of stone steps took us to the track above. Halfway way up an area with four information placards explains the dam’s history and the Dambusters’ connections.

 

At the top we turned left alongside the reservoir on the broad track and continued for a mile-and-a-half, ignoring a green footpath sign half-way along pointing to Strines. At a second similar sign near the foot of Abbey Brook (40 minutes) we turned right through the trees and started climbing quite steeply. At a fork we carried straight on uphill and eventually emerged on open moorland with a wire fence on our left.

 

We followed this before reaching a merging of footpaths where we bore left and soon reached a gate on the left. From here we could see the hill of Lost Lad ahead of us. We followed the track across boggy moor, dampened by the snowmelt of two days before, and began a short steep climb up rocky steps. This emerged at a false summit, where a paved path took us another 300 yards to the cairn and topograph that marks the top (73 min).

 

The hill takes its name from the local legend of Abraham Lowe, a 13-year-old shepherd boy from the now-submerged village of Derwent, who was sent up by his family in severe weather one winter to rescue a flock. He became benighted in the worsening weather and while losing consciousness managed to scrawl the words ‘lost lad’ on a gritstone rock. His body was not found until the following spring and for a hundred years since passing shepherds are said to have laid a stone in his memory, resulting in the large cairn on the top.

 

Ahead of us, 600 yards away, we could see our objective of Back Tor, the high point of the walk at 1,765 feet, with its white trig point visible perched on a rocky outcrop. We descended on the paved path and climbed briefly to the summit where a belated pietime was declared (89 min).

 

Our route southwards down Derwent Edge could be seen clearly by the thin sunlight reflecting off the wet flagstones of the path. We were to follow this for almost two miles. First we passed a collection of shaped rocks known as the Cakes of Bread, and further on the rocky bluff of Dovestone Tor, where the paved path ended and we were left to make our way through the rocks.

 

On our right we passed the lone boulder known as the Salt Cellar and soon after reached, on our left, the most imposing of the rock formations, marked on the map as the Wheelstones, but known locally as the Coach and Horses.

Less than half-a-mile further on we reached a green Peak and Northern Footpath Society sign marking the bridleway between Derwent and Moscar (133 min). We turned right here and began our descent on paths towards Ladybower. We headed down towards a drystone walls where Chris slipped on mud and plunged headfirst in to the heather, bumping his nose on his walking pole. It took him some time to righten himself from what Micky described as a ‘dead ant’ position. Chris announced his nose was not as damaged as his pride and dignity.

 

We followed the wall for a short distance before going through a gate on the left at a sign to Derwent. The path headed down hill to a plantation where we went through a gate and folllowed the track down with the woods on our left. Another gate took us on to a steeply-descending path of rock setts, which brought us to some buildings with a bench inside a shelter and then we joined a track which emerged above the Ladybower Reservoir, where we turned right (167 min).

 

We soon came to a small bay marking the spot where the village of Derwent was once home to a thriving community. The village and that of Ashopton, on the site where the Ladybower viaduct now stands were demolished in 1943, after the dead were relocated from Derwent churchyard to Bamford, and the only building left standing was the church.

 

Its spire used to emerge from the waters in times of drought but it was blown up for safety reasons in 1947. In dry periods now the ruins of the village can still be seen.

 

We soon joined a metalled road, passing the residence of St Henry’s on our right which was once the Roman Cathloic school for the village. The minor road soon brought us back to the Derwent Dam where we bore left to arrive back at the visitor centre (205 min).

 

Your diarist, Jock and Andy arrived back at our cars to find Cliff, who had travelled with Andy, waiting. Our other companions had departed for the Ladybower Inn, where your diarist joined then for some Bateman’s beer at £3-90 a pint.

 

Next week’s walk, led by Chris, will start from Dane Bridge at 9.40 am, calling at the Ryles Arms around 12.30 pm and later at the Ship Inn. Parking is on the road just over the bridge.

Happy Wandering