Ladybower Reservoir Circular Walk & the Lost Villages Trail

BySteffan Updated on

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Struggling to find a Ladybower Reservoir circular walk that is easy to follow and actually flat? Many routes in the Peak District National Park can be confusing or more challenging than they first appear.

I live in the Peak District and spend a lot of time exploring its trails, including completing a 100km ultra hike here, so I know how valuable a simple and scenic route can be.

The Ladybower Reservoir circular walk sits in a beautiful area of the Hope Valley and is one of the best options for beginners. It is easy to navigate, mostly flat, and still packed with views, from the shoreline paths to the impressive Derwent Dam.

Along the way, you will also discover the story of the lost Ladybower reservoir villages hidden beneath the water, adding something unique to an already beautiful walk.

If you are looking for a relaxed and straightforward walk in the Peak District, this route is a great place to start.

Wide view of Ladybower Reservoir surrounded by rolling hills and dense woodland, with a grassy foreground leading down to the water under a partly cloudy sky.
Stunning views across Ladybower Reservoir

At a Glance

Distance: 12km
Time required: 3 hours 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Elevation gain: Hardly any – it is a very flat walk
Route type: Circular

Start location: Heatherdene Car Park
Coordinates: 53°22’09.8″N 1°41’50.6″W
Parking situation: Paid parking available at Heatherdene Car Park. There is also a free parking area further along the route near the reservoir bridge.
Postcode: S33 0BY

Toilets: Toilets available at Heatherdene Car Park and Fairholmes Visitor Centre
Food nearby: Ladybower Inn, Yorkshire Bridge Inn, café at Fairholmes Visitor Centre
Dog friendly: Yes but dogs should be kept on leads where signposted
Child friendly: Yes, lots of families with young children do this walk
Navigation difficulty: Easy

Terrain: Reservoir paths, forest tracks, quiet roads
Mud level: Low. Almost all of the walk is paved
Phone signal: Excellent
Best season: Good in all seasons due to the paved path

Best for: Scenic reservoir walking and learning about the lost villages
Not ideal for: Walkers looking for steep climbs or mountain views.

Ladybower Reservoir Circular Walk Map

Below is Thea map for the Ladybower reservoir circular walk route. This map shows the full Ladybower reservoir route used in this guide and makes it easy to follow the route from start to finish.

NOTE: Please ignore the elevation gain on the map. It is incorrect. There is hardly any elevation on this walk. It’s a flat walk that’s accessible for all types of walkers.

Parking & Getting There

This walk starts from Heatherdene Car Park, which is a paid car park near Ladybower Reservoir. It usually has spaces available, but it can fill up on very busy days.

Parking payment machine and information boards at Ladybower Reservoir with signs reading "Severn Trent Upper Derwent Valley", "Cash and card payments Please pay and display" and a map showing local walking routes.
You can pay with Cash or Card at Heatherdene car park

There are other car parks that are on the circular route itself but in my experience they’re such a nightmare to park in, you’re far better off just parking at Heatherdene and saving yourself the stress.

Heatherdene Car Park Prices:

  • 2 hours: £3.50
  • 4 hours: £6.00
  • Maximum stay: £7.00

There is also free roadside parking near Ladybower Dam, although these spots tend to fill very early.

Another place to try is free parking along Snake Pass (A57) near the reservoir bridge, but again these spaces can be difficult to find later in the day.

A final option is the car park opposite the Ladybower Inn. This is the most expensive choice at around £3 per hour, but it usually has more availability because of the higher price.

Route Overview

The Ladybower reservoir circular walk follows a gentle loop around Ladybower Reservoir, part of the wider Derwent Reservoir system in the Derwent Valley, using a mixture of quiet roads and waterside footpaths.

Starting from Heatherdene, the route follows the reservoir road before crossing the bridge and picking up a shoreline footpath heading towards Derwent Dam.

People fishing from a narrow jetty extending into Ladybower Reservoir with a small boat moored alongside, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and woodland.
A peaceful scene

After visiting the dam and its viewing areas, the walk continues along the opposite side of the reservoir, passing National Trust buildings before eventually looping back to the bridge and returning to the starting point.

Along parts of the route you’ll also find information boards about the Ladybower reservoir villages, explaining the history of the communities that were flooded when the reservoir was built.

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The Walk – Step by Step

Start from Heatherdene Car Park.

When leaving the car park, there are two directions you can go. You can exit the way you drove in and turn right, which starts the circular walk straight away. Or you can turn left and follow the path that runs alongside both the road and the reservoir towards Ladybower Dam.

I didn’t go left on this walk because I had already visited Ladybower Dam, but it is worth doing if you haven’t seen it before.

A stone valve tower stands in the reservoir, connected by a narrow bridge to the dam wall that stretches along the right side of the water. Gentle ripples reflect the soft light, with a dense forest and rolling hills rising in the background beneath a partly cloudy sky. The image highlights historic dam architecture set within a calm and scenic countryside landscape.
Ladybower Dam

If you go straight on with the circular route, follow the road that runs alongside Ladybower Reservoir. Keep going until you pass the fishery on your right, which is a useful landmark to show you that you’re on the correct route.

Small stone fishery building at Ladybower Reservoir with signage and noticeboards on the front, set in a quiet car park surrounded by trees.
The fishery is the other side of the road on your right

A little further on, you’ll reach a bridge crossing the reservoir.

Cross the bridge and join the A57 Snake Pass briefly. Turn left and continue along the road until you reach the next bridge.

Wide pavement along a dam at Ladybower Reservoir with hikers wearing backpacks walking ahead and a person in an orange hat looking out over the wall, with rolling hills and fields in the background.
Turn left at the junction just after the bridge

Before you get to this bridge, you’ll see the free parking area on your right.

Paved path running alongside Ladybower Reservoir with water on the left and a road on the right, leading toward rolling green hills and scattered houses under a bright blue sky.
Just after this section you’ll see the free parking along the road

After crossing the bridge, take the footpath on the right that follows the edge of the reservoir rather than staying on the road.

Paved cycle path beside a road at Ladybower Reservoir with a yellow arrow pointing toward a wooden gate and footpath entrance leading down toward the water.
Just after the bridge take a right and then take the footpath to the right

This section starts in a more open area, where I saw geese, before leading into a more wooded stretch.

You’ll pass thorough the shoreline pine forest which has wooden boardwalk paths and a few more open sections where you can take in the views over Ladybower Reservoir.

Narrow woodland path along the edge of Ladybower Reservoir with tall trees lining both sides and glimpses of the water through the branches, forming a მშვიდ shaded section of the walk.
Continue along the shore of the reservoir

Keep following the shoreline path and you’ll eventually arrive at Fairholmes Visitor Centre and parking area.

From here, it’s about a two minute walk up to Derwent Dam. There are two viewing areas here, a lower viewpoint and a higher one.

Close up view of a stone dam spillway with water rushing in a thick white sheet down into the reservoir below. A square stone tower rises beside the cascading water with a wooded hillside in the background, emphasizing the power and scale of the overflowing dam.
Derwent Dam

FOR A MORE DETAILED BLOG ON THE DERWENT DAM CLICK HERE

Once you reach the upper viewpoint, turn back on yourself and begin walking along the opposite side of the reservoir.

Wide paved path through a dense forest of tall pine trees near Ladybower Reservoir with sunlight filtering through the branches and the route stretching ahead into the distance.
Follow the private road that leads you to the other side of the reservoir

This side of the reservoir is a private road that leads to some of the national trust buildings and homes that you pass on the way back on the Ladybower reservoir circular walk.

Stone cottage near Ladybower Reservoir with multiple chimneys and ivy on the walls, set beside a gravel path with a classic red telephone box and bare trees framing the scene.
Some lovely cottages along the shore of Ladybower Reservoir

You can just imagine how lovely it would be to own one of the homes along the shore. There’s even a small chapel along the road.

Small stone church near Ladybower Reservoir with an arched doorway and bell tower, viewed over a moss covered stone wall with bare tree branches framing the building against a blue sky.
A quaint little church along the shore

Also, on this part of the trail, you’ll find signage about the lost villages. These boards explain the history of the Ladybower reservoir villages, which were flooded when the reservoir was created and are now, well, lost beneath the water.

Information sign at Ladybower Reservoir titled "Derwent’s Village of the Dams" with a historic black and white photo explaining the lost village beneath the reservoir.

From here the rest of the Ladybower circular route is very easy to follow. You’re just following the road along the shoreline of the reservoir. You’ll pass through some open areas and wooded sections.

Just be sure to stay to the right along the shoreline. There are some tracks that lead up to Derwent Edge from here. But there are much better hikes along Derwent Edge that you can save for another day.

Wooden gates and a path entrance along the Ladybower Reservoir circular walk with two hikers passing through, leading up a hillside with dry stone walls and views of the water to the right.
There are some gates leading up to Derwent Edge but stay on the path along the reservoir

Eventually, you’ll return to the bridge where you first turned off onto the reservoir path. From here, turn left and follow the road back towards Heatherdene Car Park.

I finished the walk at 2:30, returning to the car after roughly 3 hours and 25 minutes.

Mistakes I Made / What I’d Do Differently

The main thing I’d do differently next time is include the short walk to Ladybower Dam at the start of the route.

A circular bell mouth spillway drains water from a calm reservoir, creating a dramatic whirlpool effect as water pours into the center opening. The stone dam wall curves along the left side, with wooded hills and blue sky reflected on the lake surface. The image captures the powerful overflow system in action within a scenic mountain landscape.
I used the stone wall here to create a leading line around the plughole and into the distance

Because I had already visited the dam before, I skipped that section on this walk. However, if it’s your first time visiting Ladybower Reservoir, it’s definitely worth including as the dam is one of the most recognisable landmarks in the area.

It only adds a short distance but improves the overall experience of the Ladybower reservoir circular walk.

Photography Tips

Derwent Dam is easily the best photography location on this route.

Derwent Dam with its distinctive stone towers releases a wide sheet of water down the sloped face into the river below. The historic dam sits in a wooded valley surrounded by rolling hills and bare tree branches under a partly cloudy sky.

Both viewing areas offer good angles of the dam structure, and the surrounding hills can help frame your shots.

The shoreline sections of the walk can also produce nice landscape photos, especially when the water is calm and reflecting the surrounding hills.

Peaceful lakeside view at Ladybower Reservoir with sunlight shimmering on the water, framed by bare trees and a small gate leading to the shoreline.

If you enjoy photographing landscapes, you’ll find several simple compositions along the reservoir edge during this Ladybower reservoir circular walk.

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Who This Walk Is For

The Ladybower reservoir circular walk is ideal for walkers who want a relaxed and scenic route without steep climbs.

It’s particularly well suited to:

• Casual hikers
• Walkers interested in the history of the Ladybower reservoir villages
• Photographers looking for easy reservoir viewpoints
• Anyone wanting a longer but straightforward Ladybower Reservoir walk

More experienced hikers looking for dramatic ridgelines or big elevation gains may find this route a little gentle.

Facilities & Things to Know

Both Heatherdene Car Park and Fairholmes Visitor Centre have toilets available, which makes this route fairly convenient in terms of facilities.

Outdoor café kiosk menu board displaying panini options Tuna Melt Tuna and Cheese Cheese and Ham Cheese and Onion priced at 5.50 alongside hot food including Cornish pastie burgers hot dogs sausage and bacon baps jacket potatoes sandwiches hot drinks and ice cream. Assorted bottled and canned drinks including Coke Pepsi and Lucozade sit on the counter while a customer holds a phone near the service window.

At Fairholmes Visitor Centre you’ll also find a small café selling hot drinks, hot snacks, cakes and ice creams, which can be a nice stop during the walk.

For a proper meal after finishing the hike you can also visit:

• Ladybower Inn
• Yorkshire Bridge Inn

FAQs

How long is the Ladybower reservoir circular walk?

This walk took roughly 3 hours and 25 minutes to complete at a steady pace.

What are the lost villages of Ladybower Reservoir?

The Ladybower reservoir villages were communities that once existed in the valley before the reservoir was built. When the reservoir was created the villages were flooded, leaving them beneath the water and giving rise to the story of the lost villages.

Is the Ladybower reservoir circular walk difficult?

No. The route is mostly flat and follows easy paths and quiet roads, making it suitable for most walkers.

Can you walk all the way around Ladybower Reservoir?

Yes. There are several routes that allow you to walk Ladybower Reservoir, including circular routes like this one that explore both sides of the reservoir.

Is there parking at Ladybower Reservoir?

Yes. Heatherdene Car Park is one of the main parking areas, and there is also a free parking area near the reservoir bridge along the route.

Where to hike next?

If you enjoyed this walk and want to explore more of the area, there are plenty of great routes nearby to try next.

For one of the best panoramic views over Ladybower Reservoir, the walk up Win Hill is a great next step and offers a bit more of a challenge.

If you are looking for a longer route with dramatic gritstone edges, Derwent Edge is a classic Peak District hike with incredible views across the Derwent Valley.

For something quieter and less busy, Crook Hill is a great option with a mix of woodland and open views over the reservoir.

And if you fancy heading to a completely different part of the Peak District, Chrome Hill offers a unique landscape with its distinctive rolling hills and is well worth the trip.

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Steffan, a bearded man with long, curly hair tied back, stands on a white wooden bridge holding a professional camera with a large lens. He wears a blue and green insulated jacket, a yellow bandana around his neck, and carries a black backpack with photography gear. Behind him, colorful houses in shades of pink, green, and blue are built on a hillside, with bright natural light casting a warm glow on the scene.

I’m Steffan, the founder of InWanderment, a travel and photography blog dedicated to sharing my experiences and insights from around the world.

I’m a self-taught photographer with a passion for helping others explore the outdoors through photography. My goal is to make capturing the beauty of nature feel accessible to everyone — whether you’re shooting with a professional camera or just your phone.

Now back in the UK after 18 months of travel across Asia, I’m focusing on creating new content, editing thousands of photos, and sharing everything I’ve learned along the way to inspire others to get outside and start shooting.