Carsington Christmas Circular

Walk leader: Jonathan
Co-leader: Fiona
Date: Saturday 20th December 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
Start time: 10:30
End time: 15:15
Start and end point: In front of Carsington Water Visitor Centre, Big Lane, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 1ST
Start point - What 3 Words: ///presenter.sometime.disco
Distance (in miles): 9.5
Ascent (in meters): 200
Is your walk dog friendly? No

Full description:
In this festive walk we will explore the beautiful Carsington Water. Completed in 1992, Carsington Water is the 9th largest reservoir in England and sources its water from the River Derwent. It is also a haven for wildlife with many species of birds (including ducks, geese, grebes, divers, coots, cormorants, moorhens), and is surrounded by native woodlands and wildflower meadows.

We will walk in a clockwise circuit, first passing the wildlife centre and bird hide, followed shortly after by the World War II Quadrant Tower (or “Bombing Tower”) which was used to plot and triangulate the positions of “hits” during bomber training runs. Next we will detour to the namesake village of Carsington and then continue to the northern tip of the reservoir. Walking along the more wooded eastern side of the reservoir we will take the high path through Hall Wood to a good vantage point over the reservoir. Also we will follow the wooden sculpture trail featuring 8 interactive artworks, as well as passing through some meadows. At the southern end of the reservoir we will pause at the Dam View Point and Opening Plaque Stone sculpture. Next we cross the impressive dam which gives a sense of scale to Carsington Water. Finally, we visit Stones Island before returning to the Visitor Centre to see the Kugel Stone, and then the Mainsail Restaurant for refreshments.

The majority of the walk will be on gravel paths which can be wet and muddy in sections during the winter months. There will also be some sections on forested and grass paths. The walk also includes a few short steep sections, as well as one longer ascent and descent. Good walking shoes or boots are recommended. It is likely to be cold, and maybe wet, so please dress appropriately with plenty of layers and waterproofs. Please also bring a packed lunch. In addition, festive jumpers and Santa hats are encouraged!

Public transport or car sharing options: This walk is not accessible by public transport.
In the interest of the environment please use Meetup to arrange car shares. Please arrive in plenty of time to ensure a prompt start to the walk.

Visitor Centre Car Park Opening Times: 07:30 – 19:00
Cost: £7 for all day parking
There are 3 payment options:
(1) Payment on exit by entering your vehicle registration number in the payment terminal which accept card, contactless, and cash,
(2) Payment later within 24 hours of leaving online (see the link below),
(3) Payment later within 24 hours of leaving using the Trust app (see the link below),

Full parking and payment information can be found at:
https://www.stwater.co.uk/our-visitor-sites/carsington-water/

Be prepared:
Please remember to dress appropriately for the time of year, with plenty of warm clothes and waterproofs, as well as food and water. Further information on what to bring can be found on our website here: https://www.sheffieldwalkinggroup.org.uk/be-prepared

Sign-up:
Sign-up for this walk opens 5 days before the event. If you sign up and can no longer make it, please be respectful of others and remove yourself from the event so that others can take your place. We request you do this ***NO LATER THAN 6pm*** the night before the walk.

Please note:
Sheffield 20’s and 30’s Walking Group is part of the Ramblers, a registered charity. All of our leaders are volunteers. Everyone is welcome to join us on our walks. New members can come on up to 3 walks before joining the group. After 3 walks, we require you to sign up as a Ramblers member for insurance purposes. More information about the group can be found at https://www.sheffieldwalkinggroup.org.uk/.