Derwent & Howden Reservoir

Today we walked around Derwent and Howden Reservoir's. Covering roughly 17 km (10 miles) this was a long hike, however because it runs around the water's edge it was pretty flat and steady throughout.

We began from the car park and made our way up the western side of Derwent Damm where the view open up dramatically across the water and surrounding hills. The scale of the dam is impressive up close, it is amazing to think about the immense weight of the water it is holding back.

As we continued we stumbled across an information & memorial plaque for the "Dam Busters". It turns out the during world war two, they used Derwent reservoir to practice dropping "bouncing bombs" designed to breach German dams. Given the closeness of the valley walls on either side, I cannot image the skill and bravery it must have taken to fly a bomber at an altitude of 60ft down reservoir.

We continued along the western side of Derwent reservoir which wiggled about and did feel like it went on for an age. Eventually, we reached Howden Dam.

From here we continued up to the bridge at Slippery Stones on the River Derwent. This was a lovely spot - quiet, remote, and a great place to pause before looping back.

We then made our way along the eastern side of Howden Reservoir, enjoying a different perspective of the valley and surrounding moorland. This side was especially striking, with the colours of the vegetation contrasting nicely against the blues and greens of the water.

Finally, we headed back to the car park. Overall, it was a rewarding walk; long enough to feel like a proper adventure, but gentle enough to stay enjoyable throughout.