The Peak District National Park 

A change of direction today took me to the Derwent Valley in the Dark Peak.

A circuit including Derwent Reservoir and Derwent Edge 12miles 1800ft

Setting off from the Derwent Reservoir overview car park

The dam on the Derwent reservoir is renowned as the dam used by 617 Lancaster Bomber squadron, otherwise known at the Dambusters Squadron, to practise aiming their bomb sights on the dam's two towers. 

The towers are the same distance apart at the towers on the German Ruhr dam which they were commissioned to destroy with the so called 'bouncing bomb'

The planes flew down the length of the reservoir just 60ft above the water

This is the memorial in the west tower to the 53 men lost in the 8 planes shot down. Two dams were successfully breached

The dam seen from below

This would have been the pilot's view as they flew down towards the dam just 60ft above the water....

....Setting their sights on the two towers

After a couple of miles along the reservoir my route began the climb to Derwent Edge

The 'Edge' soon came into view as I continued up Abbey Clough.... 

....and arrived at 'Lost Lad' summit with its cairn and view finder column.

Lost Lad was so named in memory of a farmer's son who died after getting lost in a snow storm

Continuing along the summit edge to Black Tor,  today's highest point, I met Oliver  who was in training for a 26mile fundraising event in Snowdonia for an Alzheimer charity. I wish good luck to him for that.

  

All across the summit edge are these outcrops of rocks many of which have names....    

....such as this one called the 'Salt Cellar' which appropriately I sat next to for lunch!

Lunch time view down to the Derwent reservoir 

Lunch over I continued along the ridge path to the next rocky outcrop....

.....the 'Wheel Stones'....before

....starting the descent back to the reservoir

The valley below the dam was filled with water as another reservoir in the 1940s and covered the village of  Derwent now beneath the water around this part... 

....an information board has this photo of the village shortly before the residents were moved to newly built village further down the valley

Finally after continuing along the reservoir and back beneath the dam I finished at the visitor centre near the car park. 

A wonderful day's walking with much of interest. I'll certainly be visiting the Peak District again.