Reservoir Walk (Plus Emlin Ridge + Kirk Edge Trigs) | From Low Bradfield | 10-Mile Route

Here we’ve created a lovely 10-mile route to tick off both Emlin Ridge and Kirk Edge trig points from Low Bradfield in the South Yorkshire part of the Peak District. We also have options to shorten or extend this walk, so keep reading!

However, if you don’t fancy the hills, then you can opt to walk Dale Dike and Agden Reservoir and skip the two trigs. This will make it a 7-mile/11 km walk, without most of the ascent too. For the OS map and GPX file for this route see the ‘Shorten this walk’ section.

The walk begins in Low Bradfield and then takes you first to a lovely quieter section around Dale Dike Reservoir. Next, it’s uphill to tick off the first trig at Emlin Ridge before heading alongside Agden Reservoir toward High Bradfield. The walk then heads up to your second hill and trig – Kirk Edge. 

It’s back down via High Bradfield to Low Bradfield to complete your walk. If you wish to extend it further there’s a lovely 4-mile circular route around Damflask Reservoir to make it a 14-mile walk.

Here you will find details on how to get to the start of the walk at Low Bradfield, route information, a map, a GPX file, plus detailed step-by-step directions for the walk.

Let me know in the comments if you’ve done this walk and what you think!

PDF guides are now available for our walks. Only £1 each. If you’d like one for this route please send us a request (email or Instagram). 

Printable PDF Guides

Reservoir walk (Emlin Ridge + Kirk Edge Trigs) from Low Bradfield

gpx file

Reservoir walk (plus Emlin Ridge + Kirk Edge Trigs) map

© Crown copyright and database rights (2024) OS 002572460

 
Click for online map

Walk start point

Start grid reference:  SK 26224 92022

Car parking address: The Sands, Low Bradfield, Sheffield, S6 6LA – Google location

This is a small, free car park, and there are additional spaces along the road. Please be mindful of local residents.

Facilities on the walk

There are public toilets available near the start of the walk about 200 metres away, past the tennis courts at SK 26348 92056.There are no others on the route.

Other useful information

There are small sections of road walking on this route, please take care.

Dogs – There are parts of this walk where dogs are required to be on a lead. Signs on route point these areas out, and unfortunately they are not allowed on Emlin Ridge or the trig point, which is a small part of this walk. (Sign – ‘Dogs excluded here except on Rights of Way’ – please note our route goes via Access Land but there is no right of way.)

Would you know what to do in an emergency situation?

We have a guide with what to do, who you need to call and also some useful kit that should be in your backpack. Ask us any questions in the comments or via our social media.

Happy hiking + stay safe

read here

Peak District weather

Check the weather for your walk location before you set off.

• BBC Weather for Bradfield
• Met Office weather for Sheffield
• Met Office weather and/or MWIS (Mountain weather information service) for the Peak District

Ordnance Survey walk map

The map for this walk is the Ordnance Survey OL1 – Peak District (Dark Peak Area).

View the different prices here with Ordnance Survey or Amazon. If you’re hiking in all weather, the Active OS maps are good to have as they are laminated so better on rainy days.

View both Peak District map options here.

And don’t forget your compass, I recommend the Silva Expedition or the Silva Classic compass.

For online maps, I recommend OS Online App (I have been using it for many years and it is worth getting if you want to start walking more). Check prices here for the one-month or annual option with OS Online App. All the walks on the website are created using OS Online + you can download them to the App.

See both maps that cover the Peak District here.

Want to learn more map skills? Check out our Guided Walks with map reading skills here.

Damflask Reservoir walk route

Stage 1 – Low Bradfield to Dale Dike Reservoir

Distance: 1.7 miles/2.8 km

Grid reference SK 26224 92022

1. From The Sands car park, go out of the main entrance and turn left down the road. Bear left again when the road splits, then cross over the road opposite The Schoolrooms Cafe and follow the signs for Sheffield along Mill Lee Road. Walk up the road, past The Plough pub, and take the public footpath shortly after it on the right. (This is part of the Sheffield Country Walk but the sign is on the back of the post).

2. Follow the track (photo above) to a wide metal gate and go over the stone stile. Follow the lower footpath to another stone stile, through some woods then out to an open grass area running alongside Dale Dike (stream not reservoir). Go over a third stone stile onto the road and turn left up the road. Continue up the road and shortly after Bradfield Cattery, there’s a public footpath on your right, with another stone stile (photo below).

3. Keep walking through the woods until you reach a footpath on your right heading down to the reservoir. Walk down here, over the stone stile and turn left following path alongside Dale Dike Reservoir.

Stage 2 – Dale Dike Reservoir to Emlin Ridge Trig

Distance: 3.2 mile/5.2 km

Grid reference SK 24202 91349

4. Follow the Yorkshire Water permissive path alongside the reservoir, over a small bridge, until the path forks. Take the right-hand path, over a second wooden bridge (photo below) and continue following the path with the reservoir on your right. (This section was very muddy and has lots of tree roots). 

5. Walk all the way to the end of the reservoir path, through two kissing gates then continue on a wider path and past an information sign detailing the 1864 Dale Dyke Dam disaster (the spelling of Dyke is different to the OS Map). Eventually, the path brings you out at a wide gate onto the road. (There are a few car parking spaces in the lay-by).

6. Walk up the road and after 100 m turn right up a public footpath, through a gate and uphill through a small section of Access Land. There are numerous paths but keep on the main path heading uphill until you reach a gate. Turn left and walk up to the road. Turn left and shortly after there’s a wooden stile on your right.

(Dogs excluded here except on Rights of Way – please note this route goes via Access Land but there is no right of way.)

7. Walk alongside the wall and at the corner, bear right (photo above) across the Access Land, in the distance, you’ll see Emlin Ridge and numerous Grouse Butts. Go down to the stream, across the bridge and up the steps (photo below), then turn left along the track, near Grouse Butt No. 4. As you reach the top, the track becomes faint but bear right and continue walking uphill until you reach Emlin Ridge Trig point.

Stage 3 – Emlin Ridge trig to Kirk Edge 

Distance: 3.8 mile/6.1 km

Grid reference SK 23977 93386

8. From Emlin trig, retrace your steps back downhill, this time continuing all the way to the bottom until you reach another wooden stile. Go over and down to the road, turn right and follow the road until you reach a side road called Windy Bank, turn left here and walk downhill until you reach a wide metal gate. Turn left into Windy Bank Wood and follow the path downhill and over a small bridge then loop around.

9. Keep walking through the woods, then bear right and follow the path over a stone bridge that brings you out at the start of Adgen Reservoir. Follow the footpath on the right as it takes you down to the path by the reservoir. Turn left and walk next to Adgen Reservoir, you’ll reach a small wooden bridge and a gap that brings you out onto the road. Turn right here and walk down the road.

(More cars were parked here but it’s very muddy so not an ideal parking spot).

10. After a short distance, look for a public footpath on the left, go up the stone steps, then take the footpath bearing right heading up along Roche End Brook, which goes past a waterfall hidden below. Continue walking, then go up some steps and over a wooden step stile (photo above), then through a gate until you reach a gap in a stone wall next to Bailey Hill. If you wish, you can take a short detour to explore Bailey Mill on the permissive path.

11. After exploring, continue through the gap in the wall and follow the path towards the church. Go out via a metal gate and stone stile to the road. Turn left up the road, and at the top continue over a stone stile on the footpath. Walk up to the next stone stile and across the field to the gate in the corner.

12. Walk uphill on the footpath then over a wooden stile and onwards to cross the road. You have two more stone stiles here, then walk uphill to reach a wooden step stile, this is the closest point to Kirk Edge trig point, which is 75 m to your right.

Stage 4 – Kirk Edge to Low Bradfield

Distance: 1.2 mile/1.9 km

Grid reference SK 27704 92993

13. From here, you now retrace your steps back to the stone gap near the church in High Bradfield. (The Old Horns Inn makes a good stop for refreshments at this point, turn left for the pub).

14. Go through the metal gate (photo above) in the corner next to the church and follow the footpath. Bear left, between the stone gate posts and head downhill, go through the next two gates to reach the road. Cross over and continue to the public footpath opposite. Walk down some steps, across the path to the next footpath opposite (photo below). Go all the way down, across the small wooden bridge at the bottom. Turn left and follow the path back to the car park.

Ask me questions about this walk in the comments below.

Other walk information

Shorten or extend the walk

There are two options for this walk, you can either shorten the walk by missing out on both Emlin Ridge and Kirk Edge trig points, so it’s a 7-mile/11 km walk.

7-mile route – OS route here and GPX here

Or you can extend the walk by adding on the Damflask Reservoir 4-mile loop, so it’s a 14-mile/22.5 km

Search Damflask Reservoir to find the route.

More walks in the Peak District

Love the walks in the Peak District? You might like these medium-length trig walks.

• Featherbed Moss, Holme Moss (Black Hill) + Hey Edge Trig Walk From Crowden | 11-Mile Route
• Harry Hut + Lantern Pike Trig Walk From Hayfield | 10-Mile Route
• Langsett Reservoir, Margery Hill + Outer Edge Trig From Langsett Barn | 13-Mile Route

Or search all our Peak District walks here

View walks directory here

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