Nice places to walk in the summer. Good car park but can be busy so get their early. Nice little cafe with friendly staff. Enjoyed a jacket potato at lunch time with a big helping of coleslaw and cheese. Few benches located just opposite the cafe where we sat and enjoy the food and drinks. The visitor center was sticky to find as listed as the visitor centre not the actual reservoir on maps. Recommended for amazing views of North Derbyshire.

The reservoirs are in my top five of places to visit. Whenever we go, we try and take a different path. Ladybower is the perfect place for an autumn walk. Child and dog friendly (don't just pick up, take it home). The small car park at Heatherdene fills up quickly. We had a fantastic walk.

Great walk. Take prams if you have small kids. Serene and peaceful.

Did the lost village Trail and a lovely walk it is. There is a pathway all way around and therefore good for wheelchairs and prams. Also good route for cyclists and they facilitate to hire bikes. We parked at the Fairhomes carpark which had plenty of facilities ie: public toilets which were very clean. Hiring bikes and a kiosk to purchase food, drinks and ice creams etc The beautiful weather was an added bonus and we wasn’t too hot as most of the walk you are shaded with the trees etc

Lovely place.... Very quite and peaceful. Good for runners and cyclitis

Plenty of routes to take. I have done a different route every time. Win hill has fantastic 360° views. The forest looked magical & ancient. Apparently when there is a drought you can see the foundation of the village in the reservoir. Still plenty to see I haven't covered yet.

Lovely sight! I like to use the all trails app for my walks / hikes and did a trail today around Derwent edge and lady bower

What an excellent two days I spent with Pure Outdoor, learning how to lead sport climbing. Both instructors, Charlie and Dan, were excellent. They explained all aspects clearly and patiently allowing myself and Daisy to grasp the essentials at our own paces. Having joined the course with mediocre confidence top roping to leading my first sport climb within two days is testament to the great teaching. I would 100% recommend Pure Outdoor.

Tour guide was extremely skilled and super friendly, I learned loads! Rock climbing itself was very safe, our tour guide showed us how the safety features worked to reassure that everything was good. I learned how to harness myself up and techniques to climbing the rock face. Perfectly sized groups as well. Would recommend to anyone who thinks they may be interested in this! It perfectly gives you an idea of what it’s like to do rock climbing as a hobby.

We attended an introductory climbing session today with having minimal climbing experience. Tim ran our group of 6 (max size) for the half day climb. We were taught how to tie climbing knots, belay and abseil. The guys were extremely knowledgeable and patient and took us up a mix of simple and more challenging routes. We would come back!!

Wonderful experience. The best instructor. He made our trip!! Grandparents, parents and kids all different levels and we all felt challenged and supported. We had an amazing time. Book and do it!! Great company.

My daughter had a fantastic morning on the 3 hour Rock Climbing Taster session. Sandra was an excellent and enthusiastic instructor that had great attention to detail and safety but made the session fun and tailored to individual needs so everyone learnt new skills and had an enjoyable session.

We did a day of outdoor bouldering with Pure Outdoor. Our instructor Joe was absolutely brilliant. He really took the time to understand what we were looking to get out of the day and tailored it to suit us and our ability level. He was very friendly and easy to get along and gave plenty of encouragement. As well as giving first class instruction, he made the day fun and enjoyable. One aspect I particularly liked was the attitude towards ethical climbing outdoors - good etiquette, respecting the environment and preserving the rock. I would definitely recommend and look forward to doing more courses with them in the future. Thanks!

Had a fantastic experience. Mark, the instructor, delivered the course really well, and demonstrated a wide range of knowledge, not only on mountain biking, but also on the area and the environment. Mark allowed us to dictate the pace and difficulty of the ride whilst still encouraging my brother and I to step outside our comfort zone. Highly recommend.

I recently visited the Derwent Visitor Centre and was welcomed by warm, friendly staff who truly enhanced the experience. The cafe team was equally delightful, offering an array of amazing food that was both delicious and satisfying. However, my visit wasn’t without some concerns. The £6 parking fee felt steep, especially given that the icy roads and pathways hadn't been cleared. This presented a genuine safety issue, particularly for the many elderly visitors I observed navigating the area. Despite this, the staff's hospitality and the excellent offerings at the cafe made the trip worthwhile. I hope the management addresses the ice issue soon because it would make the overall experience much better.

Gutted that we were on a tight time schedule. Otherwise, I could have spent all day here. I love a bit of history, and the Practice Dam for 617 Squadron has been on my list for a few years. The visitors' carpark was huge £3.50 to park for 2 hours £6 for the full day. We walked up to the dam and adventured and picniced amongst the ducks. Hard as nails and hilarious without having the attitude of seagulls or pigeons. The visitors' area was so clean, it was spotless with toilets that had a lemon freshness and odour. The cafe was busy and the food was reasonably priced. £3.50 was a small price to help keep it this way. Thank you to all who look after this space, and well done ❤️

Great base to start exploring around. Plenty of trails up to the hills and forest. The longest one is around the reservoir. Nice cafe shop and the toilets are very clean. Parking can be paid by card

So sad to hear that the visitor centre has closed 😔 the information given by Michael was so useful to plan our walk. Severn Trent please reconsider in order to facilitate a human point of contact!

Went during a weekday and the car park was about half full. The other half seemed to be all ducks... what seemed to be hundreds of them. Clearly well fed by visitors as a handful will start to encircle you if you stand still long enough. The car park has a small cafe in it and serves as a great starting point for plenty of trail walks, or a short visit to the Derwent dam. Just down the hill there is a small nature education walk that tells you all about the trees in the area, well worth it.

Lots of walking, steep hills and lots of steps. The Lancaster memorial is in a small locked room, so it is difficult to see memorial. Very pretty place with great views though

Got here at 8am to cycle around the reservoirs and got almost the last parking space. Very popular at weekends it seems! £6 to park for the day and the machine takes cash and card. By the time I left the queue to park was very long! Had a great morning cycling, would recommend. It's a beautiful area. Had a very welcome cuppa and sausage and bacon bap after the ride, really nice!

Tl:Dr: poorly maintained bikes and ensure you read the T&C's While the staff were friendly and welcoming, my experience with this bike rental service was ultimately disappointing and I cannot recommend it. My partner and I rented electric bikes at £38 each. There was no need to book in advance, and we appreciated the flexibility. Upon arrival, Jack made a light-hearted comment about the lengthy terms and conditions, joking that the only real rule was not to leave the bikes in the reservoir. This relaxed attitude was initially reassuring, but later contributed to some frustration. The staff made minor adjustments to the bikes before we set off. My bike had a squeaky brake and a non-functioning electric display, but seemed serviceable at the time. My partner’s bike was quite noisy, and although the front wheel was realigned before we departed, it remained slightly misaligned. Roughly an hour into our ride, my bike's battery failed, followed shortly by a broken chain. Unfortunately, there is no mobile signal on the route, so my partner had to remain with the broken bike while I cycled back alone to the shop. Jack responded quickly and kindly, taking a replacement bike to my partner. He offered me another bike too, but by then the outing was overshadowed by stress and concern, so I declined. Upon returning, one of the staff members offered a partial refund (for one bike), and told us we'd need to wait for Jack to authorise a second. After returning later, Jack declined the second refund, citing store policy and stating we could have kept the bikes longer to make up for the disruption. This option had not been made clear to us at the time. Given the very casual approach to terms and policies at the outset, this felt inconsistent and left us feeling we hadn’t been given the information needed to make an informed choice. Jack did offer a complimentary rental for a future visit, which we appreciated in principle. However, we do not plan to return. Based on our experience — especially when compared with other bike rental services — this business charges more while providing equipment that is poorly maintained. A disappointing experience that, with better communication and flexibility, could have been rectified.

Thank you for today! We hired 2 EBikes (bad knees!) (£38) and a mountain bike for our son. He hoped to use an EBike but not allowed until 16 years. We did the 10 mile reservoir loop and half of Ladybower reservoir. The batteries were still full on return and bikes in good condition. We had such fun and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. A super day. PS. Accessible car park, toilets and cafe in same location.

Fantastic day out. Highly recommended and bonus if weather is good. Great service by Derwent Cycle Hire Team in particular Nigel. Responded to my emails from Malaysia so I could plan the day out from Sheffield by public bus. Set us up with two hybrid bikes and we had the whole day to enjoy the 20 km route which took about 4 hours to complete as we stopped to enjoy the scenery. Route comprises mix of tarmac, gravel and some easy off road. Will do this again next time I visit Sheffield - hopefully in summer and not end October!

Nice chaps at the shop, but the bikes definitely need repair. Gears did not work well, front fork suspensions stuck, brakes need adjustment. Also not sure what the line between adult and children is, my 14 year old was considered an adult. All in all, even with not so good bikes, the place is worth seeing on bike, but better take your bike if you can.

Good place to rent bikes. They have bikes for both kids and adults. Very friendly staff. Maintained all bikes and equipments in good condition

Simply the best run National Park in the UK. Bike shop for renting are so helpful and the cafe and visitors centre even helped contact us when a bag fell out of the car on leaving. They luckily called us before we left sheffield. Up north are simply the best people from those who have it in to those who cooperated and got it back to us. Thank you one and all

Amazing place fantastic views excellent places for picture's. If you're into walking it's a place for you 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️😎

What a place to go for fly fishing! David is very helpful on our enquiry about booking. A cup of tea before starting and during break is wonderful in a sunny, windy day. It’s a great experience! Especially when people around you are nice and friendly. We are warmly welcomed and lucky to have Ian with us for the day. Ian also introduced the history about Ladybower and the fishes they are caring here. What a great group of people! We’re not only taking away the knowledge, but also the catches and laughs behind the pictures. We will definitely recommend them to families and friends, especially if you have children who love fishing. Thanks Ian, David and the team! See you next time! George

Amazing fishery, Ladybower fisheries has the best boats, fastest engines, friendliest staff just an all round top place to fish. It was our first visit and we caught 22 fish between us all good fighting fish. Staff more than willing to give advice. We will definitely be back and will be spreading the word about this fishery. Give them a try you won’t be disappointed 🎣🎣

Launched my kayak here, friendly staff guided me to a safe parking spot and told where to sign up and pay. Launched and had a lovely day on the water. Signed out and went home. 10/10

A really friendly greeting on arrival and lots of advice on where to fish and what methods were working best Stunning location and a vastly improved fishery over my previous visit a few years ago Well done to the new owners

A spectacular fishery with wildlife in abundance. The staff are friendly and informative, giving good advice which actually works. the shop stocks fly fishing essentials that are good quality and is reasobably priced. The fishing is outstanding, both me and my boat parner caught our bag limit and the fish were in great condition. The boats we hired were also in great condition and well serviced. There is a variaty of fishing tickets available also at a good price. This fishery is easily comparable to other top fisheries such as Clywedog Reservoir, and i actually prefer it as the staff are friendlier, the fishing is just as good, and the genral vibe of the place is more easy going. One of the top fisheries in the uk, i look forward ro fishing there again.

Visited as part of a large group of paddleboarders on 10/2. Registered at the fisheries, £10 to launch. No issues with parking. The staff were amazing thank you for being so fab, we had an amazing paddle on the reservoir and we will definitely be back 😁

Had some good days here this year since opening… had 23 fish last weekend in very pleasant surroundings!

Good range of hire bikes to choose from. I was looking to try out the Trek Fuel Exe. Booking online was really easy and I was about to book it for the following day which fitted in really well with our schedule. We were met by James who gave me a thorough rundown of all of the features on the bike. He had included the range extender on it; we didn't need that, but it was good to know it was there if I did need it ! He was very knowledgeable both about the bike and the local area, including the trails. He provided us with a map just in case, but the website had the GPX file to download in any event. All in all a great experience ! Great friendly service and the weather was fab too ☺️ Highly recommended if you're looking for bike hire in the Peak District !

Brilliant service from start to finish! We rented bikes for a day out in the Peak District and couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The owner was welcoming, knowledgeable, and made sure we were fully set up before heading out. He took the time to walk us through the bikes and even helped load a custom route onto the GPS for us. Halfway through the day, we popped back and he kindly sorted us out with a second route tailored to how we were feeling—such a nice touch! The bikes were top quality, really well maintained, and came with a small toolkit just in case (though we never needed it). Felt really well looked after the entire time. Highly recommend and we’ll definitely be back!

Excellent bike rental shop with a great variety of amazing MTBs that go up and down on anything. Super helpful and friendly staff too. James and team got us our pre booked bikes and helmets super fast and we were on our way in 2 minutes! Will definitely use their services again. Great location too!

James set us up with top-quality bikes and suggested a stunning route that gave us the best of the area – quiet lanes, amazing views, and just the right level of challenge. His local knowledge made all the difference. Can’t recommend Bike Garage enough – we’ll definitely be back!

Very helpful and professional I can highly recommend Bike Garage. Responsive in communication and helpful with local knowledge. Great bike provided. And also very friendly staff!

The bikes we hired were awesome. We were provided with information about trail conditions and bikes were set up perfectly. Highly recommend Bike Garage. Great service!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rented bikes here during a trip to the Peak District and had a fantastic experience from start to finish. The owner was incredibly kind and helpful—he even posted my driving licence back to me after I accidentally left it behind, which I really appreciated. He explained everything clearly, no matter how many questions we asked (even the silly ones!). He set up a GPS route for our ride and, when we returned, kindly sorted us out with another route to keep exploring. The bikes were in perfect condition, and he even provided a tool kit just in case we ran into any issues on the road. Super thoughtful and professional service. We’ll definitely be coming back next time we're in the area!

Did a half day beginners course with Gavin and he was excellent, can't recommend enough! Good fun, very safe and just challenging enough.

We went on an outdoor rope climbing day. It was great! Our instructor was very knowledgeable and made us feel very safe. Hannes tailored our day out to our skill level and found me lots of cracks to practice crack climbing too!

I came here to join the one day bouldering course with Pure outdoor. Good meet up area before leaving for the outdoors. There is also an indoor bouldering area here. It is in a great location, with restaurants and hikes around. Really enjoyed the course by Pure Outdoor. We were all tired but very happy and satisfied with our day

Great little local climbing wall, some interesting problems, only downside is the routes don't get changed too often but otherwise it's really handy to have so close and provides a great alternative on wet days or throughout winter.

Great center to learn from. Booked a private course to learn how to lead trad climb on our own and feel comfortable carrying on ever after. Meet up with Charly, great instructor, very knowledgeable, patient and professional. After a morning chat and acknowledging our goals, we set off on the outdoor world for the start. We felt comfortable and got a big pot of knowledge enabling us to feel confident in starting our climb feeling both safe and secure. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t the best but we spent time the following day indoor learning tricks and techniques. This did not impact the leaning curve previously planned but only a little less fun. We learn the why on the answer « it depends » and why « why » instead of « what » which is wise. No bother about time, no bother about pace, it felt smooth and flowing while leaving with a taste for adventure and hungry for learning. Very happy with the 2 days course and money well spent from our side, would definitely recommend to anyone and looking forward to come back with more experience to take this further ! Thanks for the lovely time and welcoming into the Center. We loved it. Bastien & Inga

Excellent experience. Our instructor Matt was highly knowledge, great at teaching the core principles in a relaxed and comfortable manner and tailored the two day course to our specific needs. Great value and experience. Highly recommend. We will be back to climb with this company again. Thank you

My wife and I rented two crash pads from these guys and we're very pleased. They were very friendly and helpful in finding a convenient time for us to return the pads. They even lent us a bouldering guidebook! Highly recommend!