Bamford

Bamford lies on the edge of the Peak’s own Lake District, though it is hard to appreciate that the enormous forested dams of the upper Derwent Valley have all been laid out by human hand. Thousands of construction workers laboured on the Howden, Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs in the first half of the past century. Two villages were drowned when the valleys were flooded, traces of which still appear in times of drought. During the Second World War, pilots of the famous Dambuster Squadron perfected their ‘bouncing bomb’ technique on these tranquil waters, their story told in a museum on the Derwent dam wall (01433 650953 for opening hours). Bamford offers opportunities for fishing, hill or level walking, woodland picnics and cycle hire at Fairholmes Visitor Centre.