Parking
Start at Heatherdene Car Park off the A6013 Bamford Road (S33 0BY; OS grid SK 2023 8588).
Overview
About Ladybower Miles Without Stiles
Why go
- A marked 400 m option reaches the first dam view.
- The two giant plugholes give the walk a distinctive payoff.
Heads up
- The full route includes a road crossing and roadside pavement.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Peak District map
Full mapElevation206–216 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Peak District alerts
- ClosureA54 Cat and Fiddle road closureThe A54 Macclesfield Main Road (Cat and Fiddle) is fully closed to all traffic from 27 July through 30 October 2026 during phase 1 improvement works.Official details
- ClosureHooks Carr (Stanage Popular) car park closureHooks Carr (Stanage Popular) car park will be partially or fully closed from 6 October for four weeks.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Peak District Tour Guide
Your drive to Ladybower Miles Without Stiles, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Peak District National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Ladybower Reservoir and Heatherdene0:00 / 0:34
“You're nearing Ladybower Reservoir at Heatherdene, a good place for a short walk to the dam. Two enormous circular overflow shafts beside it look like plugholes; they only spill when the water is high.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peak District Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Win Hill from Yorkshire Bridge
- Bamford Edge Above Ladybower
- The Community beside Navio
- The Salt in Saltergate Lane
- 298 audio storiesacross Peak District’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Red Fox, Eurasian Otter, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 88 trails, 76 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Ladybower Miles Without Stiles
What the walk isLadybower Miles Without Stiles is an easy out-and-back from Heatherdene Car Park to the far…
Ladybower Miles Without Stiles is an easy out-and-back from Heatherdene Car Park to the far side of Ladybower Dam. The full Access for All line is about 2 km return: follow the mapped 1 km route to the dam, then retrace it. You get elevated reservoir views and a close look at the dam’s two giant plugholes.
Choose a distanceThe shorter mapped option is 400 m to the first dam view; turn back there for about 800 m total.
The shorter mapped option is 400 m to the first dam view; turn back there for about 800 m total. The 1 km line continues across the dam and is the route mapped here. A separate Access for Many forest track continues 1.5 km from the far side to benches and another view. Following that extension and returning to Heatherdene makes a roughly 5 km walk. The main route uses a tarmac path, a woodland descent and roadside pavement before crossing to the dam.
Getting thereStart at Heatherdene Car Park off the A6013 Bamford Road (postcode S33 0BY; grid SK 2023 8588).
Start at Heatherdene Car Park off the A6013 Bamford Road (postcode S33 0BY; grid SK 2023 8588). The Access for All line has no stiles, steps or steep gradients; its tarmac and compacted surfaces are suitable for pushchairs and unassisted wheelchairs. A public road crossing and pavement are part of the approach, so take care around traffic. Heatherdene car park is the nearest facility listed.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Peak District
248 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
36 sightingsRed FoxMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
15 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
51 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
47 sightingsEuropean Fallow DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
54 sightingsWestern Roe DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Peak District. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
