Ladybower Reservoir

Our second outing of our mini break was a stroll around Ladybower reservoir. Our B&B was just a few minutes drive away so it seemed like the perfect place for an easy walk. Finn had decided not to sleep so we needed some fresh air, but didn’t feel up to anything too strenuous.

We parked at the information centre at Fairholmes (S33 OAQ), there are toilets, cycle hire and refreshments available. There is free parking along the road, but I wanted to grab some info/maps etc about the area.

It was the 1st of June, but it felt more like November. It stayed dry but was so cold! We were all wrapped up in coats which felt a bit ridiculous for the time of year.

As always, Luke wanted to take some interesting photos so we headed to Derwent Dam. It’s quite impressive when you get up close, I’d love to see it with water flowing over! I have tried to find out how high it is, but to no avail. If anyone knows, my inner geek would love to find out! We climbed to the top, which was no mean feat considering we had the pushchair with us (desperately hoping to get a grouchy Finn to sleep).

After admiring the dam, we headed back to the reservoir and walked along the path beside it. Miraculously, Finn did actually fall asleep and so we had a lovely, peaceful walk. I’m glad we went during the week when there’s less people around-I imagine it gets busy here at weekends.

It was really nice to explore a part of the Peak District that we hadn’t visited before. I was also grateful for the latest bit of kit we were trying out. (Well, it wouldn’t be a Helpful Hiker adventure without some new gear to put to the test!) This time I had been given a HydroFlask to review, and I have to say it came in very handy! I had envisaged using it to take some lovely, chilled water out walking in the summer, however this time around it was fantastic to have a hot cup of tea with me!

I was impressed that it kept my tea hot (nothing worse than a tepid cuppa) and I have since tried it on a warmer day and it was equally great at keeping my water chilled. I will post a full review shortly as I think it warrants it’s own post.