Ladybower
On Saturday Vlad and I made good use of the bank holiday weekend by driving out to Ladybower reservoir somewhere near Sheffield.
On arrival we needed three return trips to my car for various different bits and pieces (my wallet, my walking shoes, etc.). On the final attempt at a little walking I was feeling thoroughly apprehensive, expecting something to go quite badly wrong.
First stop was a Cider Refresher ice lolly from the visitors’ centre, before we wandered along the west bank of the Derwent reservoir, aiming to make it to the first or second dam before catching the shuttle bus back.
Upon arrival at the second dam, we quickly made the decision to take it a bit further and walk full circuit.
The route is (as Vlad pointed out) quite deceptive, in that you think you’re making lots of progress towards a dam, only to find out that there is a branch in the reservoir that takes you on a three mile detour!
Four hours after we set off we arrived back at the visitors’ centre. The whole route was probably around 12 miles, which suggests we managed to keep a pace of around 3mph. This isn’t too bad, especially considering I’ve not walked for a long time, and Vlad has recently recovered from a wonky knee.
Much more practise is required to maintain a solid 3mph with 30kg packs for an estimated 20-25 miles per day!