Dovestone Reservoir Circular

Dovestone Reservoir Circular is a 2.7-mile loop around the reservoir from the main car park, mostly on surfaced or firm gravel paths. Allow about 1–1½ hours. It is the short, low-level Dovestone walk—not the much longer routes that continue to Yeoman Hey, Chew Reservoir or the Trinnacle—and it earns its place with water views, moorland hills and a proper dam crossing.

Walk it counterclockwise. From the car park, reach the water and follow the shore past the sailing-club side, then cross the small bridges and continue on the gravel track as it rises gently toward the upper end of the reservoir. The route turns back by the dam and overflow paths, so the most open views arrive in stages rather than all at once. Look behind you on the dam wall: the reservoir, wooded edges and hills make the clearest sense as one landscape from there.

This is a comfortable family walk rather than a hill day. The mapped loop climbs only about 46 metres, and most of the tread is wide and well maintained. There are a few short steep tarmac ramps, gates and changes in level around the dam and the reservoir head; the official accessible route uses railings and a RADAR-key gate. After wet weather, the gravel and the path beside the water can still be slick. Dogs are welcome, but keep them on a lead around the reservoir, livestock and wildlife.

The water is part of a drinking-water supply, not a swimming spot: swimming, paddleboarding and kayaking are prohibited.

Use Dovestone Car Park off Bank Lane near Greenfield. It has toilets and disabled bays, but it is popular and can fill early. There is no permanent café; seasonal hot-food or ice-cream vans may appear at the main car park. For the best photo, wait until the dam or the open shoreline and include a strip of path with the water and moorland beyond—it shows the scale of the walk better than a tight reservoir crop. If you want a rougher, longer outing, choose a separate Yeoman Hey or Trinnacle route rather than treating this loop as a shortcut to it.