Friday March 14th

 Alport Castles and the Derwent Reservoirs

The last time we visited Alport Castles via our proposed route was in January 2024, so now seemed the time to undertake it again. It is an excellent shortish route and the views, especially on a clear day, are spectacular. We had a brief commune with the ducks at Fairholmes and some sharing of parkin crumbs.

Greedy ducks

The walk then began with the walk up towards Lockerbrook Outdoor Centre, guided with (decorated) finger posts.

Flower Power on the way up to Lockerbrook

It was lovely to see the fresh growth on the fir trees.

In a short time the views open out and are very impressive. The weather was cold, but not too bad and we made good progress up the hill and on to the open country. The path levels and the views it provides of the edges of the High Peak are worth seeing.

The northern edge of Kinder, up to Fairbrook Naze

The Great Ridge (Lose Hill and Back Tor in the gloom, Mam Tor in the sun)

 Again, as in recent walks, there are signs of spring all around, most of the sheep are very sensibly on the lower slopes rather than in the open moorland. The slumped slopes of Alport Castles, and The Tower itself are always impressive.

Approaching Alport Castles

"The Tower"

Alport Castles was as awe inspiring as ever and we stopped at the top to admire the view- and watch the kamikaze sheep. We did see one intrepid sheep who had worked her way down to a precarious position on the hillside- although there did not seem to be any obvious signs of distress.


We started down to Howden Reservoir and then on to Derwent.


Footpath indicator for Howden Reservoir

On the way down to Howden

We stopped for lunch by the  clear water and with the view of mock Gothic structures on top of the dams. It is about 3 miles along the reservoir path which can be rather boring, but this time, the air was clear and the temperature manageable, so it was relatively pleasant. 

A good day's walking (8.4 miles, 350m ascent) and some impressive scenery.


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