Carsington Water, located between Wirksworth and Kniveton in Derbyshire, is a reservoir operated by Severn Trent Water. It’s definitely somewhere you could spend the whole day though we only went on a short walk around part of the grounds on this trip; there is a parking charge which you pay on the way out otherwise the site is free to visit. There were lots of trails towards the water we explored though do be mindful of important safety notices and don’t enter the water unless at a designated spot (the site has an Activity Centre with a watersports facility for sailing, canoeing etc. as well as for the hiring of bikes).
There are several fun pieces of artwork along Stones Island Trail which we walked along, including some butterflies and this rather wonderful wizard with his dragon.
Stones Island itself was built in 1991 by landscape architect Lewis Knight using Derbyshire gritstone as an addition to the tradition of hilltop monuments throughout Derbyshire. There are holes in each stone allowing you to look through and see different views, though the foliage has grown so much since they were first created that often this is no longer possible.
It’s a really lovely place to walk around and we definitely intend to go back for a longer visit at some point.
You can find some more photos here.
Louise Jayne's Blog 