Errwood Reservoir walk (circular, 8.3km), including Errwood Hall

Over in the western part of Derbyshire’s Peak District, not too far from Buxton, lies the beautiful Goyt Valley, a popular hiking destination with moorland paths and two large reservoirs fed by the River Goyt, one of these being Errwood Reservoir.

This Errwood Reservoir walk starts on the northern end of the reservoir and takes in the once-magnificent Errwood Hall before following a woodland path that leads alongside the River Goyt upstream to a packhorse bridge. Crossing the bridge over the river, you then head back towards Errwood Reservoir across the moorland. From this point, the path is narrow, rocky and extremely muddy in wet weather.

The final part of the walk continues to follow the reservoir anti-clockwise, walking along the valley hillside to the dam wall and back to the car park along the road. There are plenty of picturesque spots along the way to stop for a picnic. 

Please not that this is not a flat walk, with lots of ups and downs as you circumnavigate Errwood Reservoir. However, it really is one of the most beautiful Peak District reservoir walks, and if little legs are up for it, you may want to extend this to add on Shining Tor (although this would make for quite a mammoth day).

Errwood Reservoir walk map

On all Peak District family walks it’s a good idea to have an Ordnance Survey paper map with you, even if you have your phone on you. For this walk you need the OS Explorer Active Map OL 24 (White Peak). It’s also a good opportunity to show young kids the map features and get them started with map reading.

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	The Peak District: White Peak Area Map | Weatherproof | Peak…	£14.07	Buy on Amazon

Get a printable download of this walk

Need to know

DISTANCE OF WALK: 8.3km / 5.2 miles

TYPE OF WALK: circular reservoir walk

PARKING: Free parking at The Street Car Park. Click here for Google Map point, postcode SK23 7HB.

WALK HIGHLIGHTS: Panoramic views across the valley and Errwood Reservoir, walking along the River Goyt, open moorland paths, crossing a packhorse bridge, walking across Errwood Reservoir Dam. 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE:  This is a 3 hour walk without kids. But with a picnic stop and time for the kids to play, allow for 5 hours with young kids, or make a whole day of it.  

ACCESSIBILTY:  Whilst the first part of this Errwood Reservoir walk to step 7 is pram-friendly, the remainder involves narrow and rocky moorland paths that can get very muddy in wet weather.

TOTAL ASCENT: 187 metres

FACILITIES: There are no public toilets or eateries on this walk. The closest public toilets are located at the Derbyshire Bridge Car Park (2.3 miles away). In summer you may find an ice cream van parked near the car park. Alternatively, you could head to Buxton for food and drink which is just under 5 miles away.

The route

START: The Street Car Park
Click here for Google Maps point
Grid reference: SK 0135 7566
Post code: SK23 7HB
what3words: ///budgeted.crunching.boring

Route follows an anticlockwise direction.

1. Exit the car park and turn right to walk along the road for 700 metres. Errwood Reservoir is on your left. This road is closed to vehicles on Sundays and Bank Holidays (11am to 4pm) from 1st May to 30th September. At all other times it is open, so do be mindful of cars, and perhaps use the footpath to the right of the road.

2. Shortly after crossing Shooters Clough Bridge (with ugly metal barriers erected to prevent people jumping into the water below), you will come across Errwood Hall Car Park on your right. Walk through the car park and head up the path towards the information board. Follow the path for 140m until it passes through a gap in a stone wall.

3. Follow the path straight ahead for 350 metres. Then take the switchback on the right, signposted to Errwood Hall. It’s sad to see how little is left of this once magnificent country house, which was demolished in 1934. For more information on the history of Errwood Hall, click here.

4. After exploring the ruins of Errwood Hall, retrace your footsteps back towards Errwood Hall car park. Just before the gap in the drystone wall that you previously passed through, take the footpath to the right. Both the stone wall and reservoir will be on your left-hand side. Stop to enjoy the views across Errwood Reservoir.

5. After 180 metres, you’ll reach a crossroad in the paths. Continue straight ahead (the footpath sign faintly reads ‘Goytsclough Valley’) following the path for 600 metres until you reach the road. 

6. Cross the road and walk through the wooden gate and follow the riverside path, overlooking the River Goyt at the bottom of the valley. There are benches along the way to stop and enjoy the scenic views. 

7. The path continues for 650 metres. Near the end, you’ll cross over a small wooden bridge. Just after this, follow the short footpath to the right that steeply climbs up to the road.

8. At the road, turn left and walk along for 300 metres, passing the closed car park on your right.

9. You will soon spot a packhorse bridge in the valley below. Just after the benches, bear left down the path, 50 metres to the packhorse bridge.

10. Cross over the bridge and follow the path to the left for 130 metres up onto the moorland. Where the path splits, bear left and follow the sign for Errwood. The moorland path is narrow, rocky and gets very muddy in wet weather.

11. 850 metres on from the signpost, walk through the collapsed drystone and soon Errwood Reservoir comes back into view. This leads to a wooden gate. Take a left at the wooden gate, keeping the drystone wall to your left.

12. When you reach the signpost, turn left in the direction of ‘Errwood’.

13. Continue along this path, passing through two wooden gates, as the footpath drops down into the valley to a bridge. This section of the walk is really picturesque and the path is wider and more easy going. After crossing the bridge, continue the footpath around to the left and uphill to views over Errwood Reservoir again.

14. At the viewpoint, where you will spot a couple of benches, there is a junction of footpaths. Take the footpath straight ahead, which passes immediately to the right of the trees (don’t take the footpath down to the left, nor the one to the right). Follow this for 1km to the road. Just before the road the path splits in two. Both footpaths lead to the road, but take the one on the left, towards the edge of the trees.

15. Turn left at the road and continue for 400 metres. The road bears left to reach Errwood Reservoir Dam. Walk across the dam using the pavement and then follow the road to the left uphill, back to The Street Car Park to complete this circular Errwood Reservoir walk.

Feature photo and some images: Gemma from Families Can Travel