Digley Reservoir Walk | 1.5 Miles

What to Expect

• Distance: A short walk, ideal for an hour or two’s stroll
• Terrain: A mix of reservoir paths, tracks and rougher grassy ground near the quarry and ruins. There are steep steps on one side and rough, rocky steps on the other so it’s not pram friendly.
• Underfoot: Can get muddy and wet in places, especially after rain, so waterproof boots are recommended – there’s a part near the steps that floods in wet weather.
• Facilities: None – there is sometimes an ice cream van in the southern car park.
• Exposure: Pack a waterproof and an extra layer even on mild days
• Dogs: Allowed, but the landowner Yorkshire Water requests they’re kept on leads.
• Best for: Families, casual walkers and history lovers looking for a short but atmospheric Pennine walk

Route Highlights

• Digley Reservoir: A peaceful Pennine reservoir on the edge of the Peak District, with a decent path and lovely views over the water and surrounding moorland
• The old quarries: A reminder of the area’s industrial past, with weathered gritstone and a bit of rugged character along the route
• Hoobram House ruins: The remains of a once-grand building that sits quietly in the landscape, a fascinating spot to pause and imagine who lived here
• Bilberry Reservoir: The site of one of Britain’s worst reservoir disasters. In the early hours of 5 February 1852, the Bilberry embankment gave way after heavy rain, sending a wall of water down the valley towards Holmfirth, with 81 lives lost. An inquest later found the reservoir was defective in its original construction
• Quiet moorland scenery: Open Pennine views and a real sense of peace, far from the crowds of the main Peak District hotspots

The path starts to climb gently and passes a pair of fine stone gateposts. This is pretty much all that remains of Hoobram House, a fine mansion house which once stood here but was demolished in 1938 to make way for the construction of the reservoir.

Built in the 1840s to supply water to the Holmfirth area, Bilberry became infamous in 1952 when the embankment gave way after heavy rain, sending a wall of water down the valley towards Holmfirth, with 81 lives lost. An inquest later found the reservoir was defective in its original construction, having been built on a spring which was eroding the structural integrity of the embankment. There is a memorial in Holmfirth town centre showing the height of the flood waters when it reached there.

Digley Reservoir, Bilberry’s next door neighbour, was planned during the 1930s, with much land being bought for its construction, but it was not completed until 1954.

The route continues through another gate, passing over a small stream, and then winds its way along the top of a small woodland.

There’s another wooden gate to pass through and then you’re in the southern car park. Turning left, we walked along the road over the Digley Reservoir embankment, then turned left at the end of the road to walk past the reservoir overflow or Digley plughole. This is almost as impressive as the Ladybower plugholes when it’s overflowing.