Dovestone Resevoir

A lovely spot for a gentle stroll in any weather - even wet and windy as it was when we were there! To walk around the main reservoir is an easy 1 hour stroll but you can lengthen it by walking up the valley to the second reservoir. The main car park gets very busy, even in poor conditions it seems. Don't forget to pay to park (60p for 3 hours or free for RSPB members) - we say parking officers on each of our visits issuing tickets!

We came here for a walk and a bit of fresh air. The area is beautiful and scenic. There are a few routes to take we just did a lap around the reservoir. The lap was about 4.7km from the car park and is relatively flat.
There are other routes that take you up onto the hills looking down on the reservoir the car Park is 60p for 3 hours or £1.20 all day.

We drove around 25 mins to here. Depending on which way you come - the road which takes you to the reservoir has a nasty left turn, it is better to go down to the roundabout and go back up. We saw a man who nearly crashed his BMW.

The car park is limited spaces and you need cash for the meter. It’s £4 for all day or £1 for 2 hour. We went late, even then it was busy however people were leaving so we found spaces.

The walk going left is far more picturesque than the east one. The east one is a longer as it meanders more. There were some disrespectful people who had dropped litter earlier during the day. I really annoys me. Take your rubbish home! We carried sticky icecream rubbish and put it in the first bin we found and there weren’t many. Take a bag for your rubbish. Some
Dog walkers hadn’t cleaned up 💩so you need to watch out for the kids before they step it in.

We had a lovely walk. The children found it hard. My 5 year old nephew and 6 year old
daughter. If you go earlier you can stop more. Unfortunately no toilets here so we all had to hold it in and drive home.

There are picnic tables on the east side. There are lots of people and many don’t social distance and walk near or past you or your children which I didn’t like.

As we were leaving quite a few cars arrived. We left around between 7pm & 8 pm. It was still pleasant but breezy. You would need jackets.

I recommend it for a walk around. Not somewhere I would specifically drive miles to this place it’s ok when visiting others in the local vicinity.

I visited Dovestone reservoir with family on a warm day in June 2021. There was plenty of options for parking near by as well as free street parking if you are prepared to walk half a mile to reach the reservoir.
There are a myriad of different routes you can take walking round the reservoir, depending on how much time you have. There’s a fantastic mix of concrete paths with off-piste options providing more challenging terrains to walk. Regardless of the route you choose, the views are absolutely spectacular as you enter the edges of the Peak District.
A wonderful place for a walk.

Nice walk around the reservoir, choice of two car parks at Binn Green starting at a higher level or the ‘main’ Dovestone car park which is at water level. Binn Green has toilet facilities but these are currently locked for the foreseeable. Both car parks were very busy on a New Year bank holiday, people parking absolutely wherever they could at Binn Green, even on the approach road. We walked around the reservoir on the easy access path, which was relatively easy though there were one or two large muddy puddles that a wheelchair might have issues with especially in the colder months.

parking is an issue if you go on a busy day. make sure you park within the lines as the warden is on the alert. takes about an hour to leisurely walk around but there are more difficult walks for those who want a challenge. you van take a picnic as theres areas to sit and watch the world go by. lovely place to visit

My wife walks with a stick but if she walks to the left of the Reservoir and I walk to the right we can meet on the way round and then I can walk back with her. We feel we are doing something together and helps with our health. You also feel very safe because there is always someone walking with a dog or friend.

Nice leisurely walk that can be made more difficult if you desire. You can walk up indians head if you want a big hike, just walk the short loop, or even do the loop plus the extra 1.5 miles round the end of the reservoir; although adding this can be more difficult and quite muddy. My dogs love it here, cheap parking (60p-£1), the only downside is that it gets quite busy and can be hard to park sometimes.

It was very hot the day we went and going to Dovestone was the best place we could be. Full of good picnic/relaxing spots, streams to enjoy the cold water. However no bbq or fires is allowed anywhere in the National Park. The main paths are suitable for prams/wheelchairs.
Theres a toilet near the parking lot.

This place is beautiful. An easy walk of you stick to the main path. You could go up to the mountains if you wished. Just stunning views from every angle. Downside was it was busy (everyone wanting to get outdoors because of C19) and the car park was full (people parked dangerously on the main road). Will definitely return, hopefully when it's less busy. Such a lovely scenic place not to be missed.