Derwent Dams

The A57 road crosses one leg of the Labybower Reservoir on a multi-arched bridge and from this point a minor road on the West side of the bridge leads to the Fairholmes Visitor Centre and car park, this being a good place to start this ride which encircles the Derwent and Howden reservoirs. Along this road, which is closed to motor traffic on Sundays in the Summertime, there are several free car parks, whereas there is a charge of £4.70 in the main car park.
The Visitor Centre at Fairholmes has everything that you may need - toilets, a shop selling reasonably priced food and a bike hire/repair shop.  Also if you like ducks, this is the place to go, as a flock of hundreds exists there, encouraged by food given to them (or dropped) by the hundreds of human visitors.
The ride is about 11 miles long or it can be extended to about 21 by avoiding the short cut back to Fairholmes, cycling down to the A57 road and back on the minor road.

 Turn right here for the Visitor Centre and Car Park.  It costs £4.70 to park in this car park, but there are several small free car parks beside the road from the A57.

 This free car park is just a few yards before the main car park.

                                    Passing the Bike Shop on the way to the Visitor Centre.

                                                                Watch out for ducks!

                                                      Here's the Visitor Centre.

                                                                 The Pay and Display Car Park.

                                             And just a few of the many ducks.

The Shop.

                                                     Good menu and prices.

                        Start of the ride, which remains on tarmac for quite a distance and is fairly flat.

               Within a very short distance we arrive at the first dam, this being Derwent Dam.

The classic view of the dam towers which was used by the Dambusters 617 Squadron in practice for the Bouncing Bomb attacks on the German Roerh and Moane dams during WW2.

The dam holds back the waters of Derwent Reservoir, here today not by any means full, but will no doubt fill during the forthcoming Winter.

The hill slopes around the waters are festooned with many large trees which not only add to the beauty of the place but also stabilise the ground.

                                                             Further up the valley is Howden Dam.

So far the ride has been on a tarmac surface, but this is as far as it goes. The turnaround at the King's Oak, planted in 1946 by King George 6th.  Not that big for a 70 year old oak, but it shows how slowly they grow.  Some car parking available here.

 On through these gates, the rough track takes us to the most Northerly point of the ride ....................

  .................................................................at Slippery Stones Bridge

                                                     Then up this rise................

 .......................where there is an aerial view of the bridge which we have just crossed.

                                                        Head now into the hills.

                                    An unusual and explicit reason for shutting the gate.

                                                        Heather on the hillside.

And we return to the Derwent Dam where there is a steep path below the dam wall, back to the Visitor Centre.
Or you can carry on right down to the A57 road, cross the Ladybower Bridge and return on road to the car park. This adds several miles to the total distance.

Verdict
A Dam Good Ride