Sheffield 20s & 30s Walking Group

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/.

Walk leader: Miranda
Difficulty: Moderate
Start time: 11:00
End time: 15:00 (including pub time)
Start and end point (circular route): Outside the Bull in Monyash
Distance (in miles): 7.4
Ascent (in meters): 237
Is your walk dog friendly?: Yes, well-behaved dogs kept on a lead

Full description:
The final instalment for the year of the Monyash to Arbor Low stone circle to celebrate the changes in the seasons. We’ve been for the spring and autumn equinoxes, the summer solstice, and now to celebrate the days starting to get longer again from this day on, we’ll head up to the stone circle on the shortest day.

We start by heading down Bagshaw Dale to Lathkill Dale, over the bridge in Lathkill Dale and up to One Ash Grange Farm where there may or many not be snazzy animals, and then up to Arbor Low. We’ll stop for lunch, and then head back to Monyash to the pub and warm up by the fire.

Please bring £1 for entry to the stone circle (there’s an honesty box), lunch as we’ll stop at the stone circle for a picnic, and plenty of warm clothes as it’ll be midwinter!

Public transport or car sharing options:
There’s no public transport to Monyash, but there is plenty of parking. Please offer lifts in the comments on Meetup if you can, and remember, drivers don’t buy drinks!

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, there is no need to contact us in advance, and as long as you have a place on our Meetup booking system you can just show up. Non-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/faqs.

Walk Leader: Kamila B
Date: Thursday 25th December
Difficulty: Leisurely
Start time: 10.15
End time: 12.00
Start and end point: Redmires Plantation car park
Start point - What 3 Words: Shower opens rents
Distance (in miles): 3
Is your walk dog friendly?: No

Full description:
What is Christmas day about... Community, Connection, Food…the list could be endless. Spend the day with family, friends, or in solitude, but how we spend it, is very different for everyone; personally, a simple walk around a reserviour on a cold winters day, with a hot tea, sounds lovely.

I'm hoping, weather permitting, we get a chance to find some rocks to sit on, and we can spend some time relaxing and connecting with the elements around us.

I would like to give space to breath and connect with each other, but only if you feel comfortable.
This will be a relaxed walk, and I will be limiting the group number to a small size group for this particular walk.
You should have enough time to enjoy the rest of your day as you please.

Please note: This walk will be weather permitting.

Public transport or car sharing options:
There is no Public transport to the start of the walk.
Please car share. I can offer up to 2 people lifts from Tesco on Eccelsall road.

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/.