Ladybower Reservoir

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Ladybower Reservoir

The Upper Derwent Valley is situated in the stunning Peak District National Park Ladybower was completed in 1945 to supply an ever increasing demand.
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The history of Upper Derwent

The reservoirs of Derwent and Howden were built nearly 100 years ago to supply the cities of Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby and Leicester. Over 1000 people were involved in building them and were housed in the temporary ‘Tin Town’ at Birchinlee. This resulted in the flooding of the villages of Derwent and Ashopton – when water levels are low, you may get a glimpse of th

e village remains. The settlements of Derwent and Ashopton were abandoned to make way for the reservoirs and the imposing neo-gothic dams were built in the deep valley to contain and control the fast flowing moorland rivers. The valley sides were planted with thousands upon thousands of conifers to protect the steep slopes and the precious water below. What will I find there today? Today the Upper Derwent Valley is a popular visitor attraction with over 2 million visitors per year. The site is renowned for it’s natural beauty and managed by Severn Trent Water in partnership with Peak District National Park Authority. What wildlife will I see? The conifer plantations have been carefully maintained to become vast woodland areas home to the threatened Goshawk. You may also see some of the Red Grouse, Ring Ouzel and Merlin who have made their home on the nearby moorlands of the Dark Peak. Not many people know...

The Derwent, Howden and Ashopton Resevoirs were in fact once the training site of the famous Dambusters Squadron.

13/08/2026

☀️ Hot Weather Alert ☀️
We’re expecting a warm, sunny, and busy few days in the Upper Derwent Valley this week. If you’re planning a visit, please remember:
🏊 No swimming – We know the water looks inviting, but please do not swim in the reservoirs. Hidden obstacles, steep drop-offs, and very cold water temperatures make them unsafe for swimming.
🔥 No BBQs or open fires – BBQs and open fires are not permitted anywhere within the Peak District National Park. Bring a picnic instead!
🐾 Keep your pets cool, hydrated, and on a lead.
💧 Stay hydrated! There is a free water fountain at Heatherdene Car Park, and bottled water is available to purchase from Derwent Café.
⛺ No overnight camping is permitted anywhere within the Upper Derwent Valley.
🚯 Take your rubbish home with you or dispose of it in one of the bins provided.
🚗 Please park only in designated parking spaces and do not block emergency access routes.
Our rangers will be out and about patrolling the site. If you see them on the boat, give them a wave 👋

28/07/2026

Do you know your Meadow Browns from your Dingy Skippers?

🦋Tuesday 4th August is our ‘Big Butterfly Day’ in The Nature Area and below Derwent Dam! In support of Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count we're inviting you to come along any time between 10am and 2pm to help us record our wildlife on site! Open to all ages, no experience necessary come and meet the rangers and enjoy some woodland kids activities. 🦋🌳

27/07/2026

REPOST⬇️

A sad day for the history of Ladybower
Fisheries.

Unfortunately, after a lengthy illness, Alan Purnell passed away a few days ago.

Alan was the last Purnell to run the fishery up to his retirement at the end of 2009.

His Father and Grandfather before him had run the fishery from the 1940s.

He will be sadly missed by those that knew him.
Here is a great photograph of Alan and his father
Li, on the jetty in 1995, when he put in 50 landlocked Salmon to celebrate the fishery being open 50 years.

24/07/2026

🔥This is 2 of 4 unattended still smouldering campfires the team have attended just this week.

On 3 of the 4 occasions a member of public has alerted staff or called 999 so we thank you and appreciate the joint effort from our visitors to help stop the spread in the Upper Derwent Valley

To help our rangers and services please report any fires or bbqs to 999 with a location to help prevent any more devastating wildfires.

15/07/2026

☀️A thankyou from The Rangers😎

Here are some stunning shots of site from one of our rangers while on a Fire Patrol! The rangers would like to thank all visitors for helping us keep this place as beautiful as these photos and free from BBQs and Campfires while the areas around us are heavily affected as our services are very stretched this summer!🌺☀️🌳

11/07/2026

☀️Hot Weather Alert ☀️

We’re expecting a warm, sunny and busy day few days at the Upper Derwent Valley this week, so if you’re planning a visit please remember...

🏊No swimming - we know the water looks inviting but please do not swim in the reservoirs. There are hidden obstacles, steep drops and very cold temperatures making them unsafe for swimming!
🔥No BBQs or open fires are allowed within the Peak District National Park. Bring a picnic instead!
🐾Keep your pets cool, hydrated and on a lead.
🚰Stay hydrated! There’s a free water fountain at Heatherdene Car Park and water available to buy from Derwent Café.
⛺There is no overnight camping anywhere within the Upper Derwent Valley.
🚯Take your rubbish home with me or drop it in one of the bins provided.
🚗Please only park in designated spaces and do not block any emergency access points.

The rangers will be out and about patrolling the site, if you see them on the boat give them a wave 👋🏼

02/07/2026

We’re looking for people to feature in a photoshoot at the Upper Derwent Valley on Saturday 11th July 📸
We want our photography to reflect the real people who enjoy our sites and the many different ways people spend time here — whether that’s walking, cycling, grabbing a coffee, wildlife spotting, family days out or simply enjoying the scenery.

We’d love to hear from:
• Singles
• Couples
• Friendship groups
• Families
• Multi-generational families

No modelling experience is needed — we just want genuine people who love spending time outdoors.
If selected, you’ll receive a FREE annual parking pass for the Upper Derwent Valley as a thank you for taking part.

Interested? Please send us a DM with:
• Your group size and who would be taking part
• Your availability on Saturday 11th July
• What you usually enjoy doing at our site
Feel free to share this post with anyone who might be interested 💙

26/06/2026

A quiet and calm Friday morning in the Upper Derwent Valley after this mornings thunderstorms⛈️

The Viaduct reflecting beautifully through the trees🌲

24/06/2026

☀️ Hot weather - please don't swim 🏊⛔

We know it looks tempting to take a dip during this sunny spell - but please don't swim in the reservoir. The water may look inviting, but it hides cold temperatures, strong currents and underwater hazards that can put lives at risk.

If you do accidentally find yourself in the water or in trouble, then remember to Float to Live. Tilt your head back with your ears submerged, relax and try to control your breathing, move your hands and legs if needed, and remember that it’s OK if your legs sink — we all float differently. Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety.

Address

Heatherdene
Bamford
S330BY

Telephone

01433 650953

Website

https://www.stwater.co.uk/our-visitor-sites/upper-derwent-valley/

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