It’s strange to think that the lakes and forestry of the Derwent Dams, as they are known, are an entirely unnatural and man-made landscape. But nonetheless they are a popular playground for visitors to the Peak District National Park, especially from the neighbouring city of Sheffield. The reservoirs themselves are obviously an introduced feature, and the coniferous forestry plantations which surround them were planted because of a perceived need for water purity. It was thought that human development and grazing sheep might pollute the water flowing into the reservoirs so the trees were planted as a ‘natural’ filter.
The parallel Alport Dale, on the other hand, shows what the Upper Derwent used to look like before the water engineers cast their eyes on its water supply capabilities. And the amazing, spectacular landscape of Alport Castles shows the power of natural erosion in one of the Peak’s most remote and least visited valleys.
