Linacre Reservoir Walking Trail

Looking for an easy walk in Derbyshire? We recommend the Linacre Reservoirs trail near Chesterfield. Beautiful to visit any time of the year, the trail is popular with walkers, cyclists and bird watchers.

Located near Cutthorpe, a small village on the outskirts of Chesterfield, there are three reservoirs at Linacre with a combined capacity of more than 240 million gallons of water. The reservoirs were constructed between 1855 and 1904 and are surrounded by beautiful woodlands and farmlands. Although the reservoirs are no longer operational, historically they supplied water to the town of Chesterfield. Today, Severn Trent Water maintains the reservoirs allowing visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of the site.

Linacre Reservoirs Walks

There is a network of trails and footpaths at Linacre Reservoirs and you can make your walk as long or short as you want it to be. If you decide to walk around all the three reservoirs (at a relaxed pace taking in the beautiful surroundings and stopping for photos), it should take you around 2 hours to complete the loop.

We were lucky enough to visit on a bright, sunny day and enjoyed the walk around the 3 reservoirs. The place was nicely maintained and the paths were good.

We started our walk from the lower car park, going down the steps into the woods and then turning right into a waymarked path that leads you above the Lower Reservoir (9.45 meters deep). At one point the path forks with the left one going to the dam of the Middle Reservoir (deepest of the 3 reservoirs at 18.75 metres deep) while the right one continues along the reservoir shore to the Upper Reservoir (12.9 metres deep).

Sections of the path leading from the Middle Reservoir to the Upper Reservoir are dotted with interesting wood carvings/sculptures. Two of my favourites are the tree tower with doors & windows and the owl house.

Benches are dotted across the site at various points and you could bring a picnic to enjoy in the woods or along the reservoir paths.

The woodlands are beautiful with a variety of trees including Alder, Beech, Oak, Larch, Pine etc. If you visit in Spring, you can experience the beauty of bluebells carpeting the woodland floor.

There are a couple of seasonal walking trails too - Daffodil Trail and Snowdrop Trail.

Coming back to the route, you continue along the path to the Upper Reservoir. The Upper Reservoir is a Conservation Area/Nature Reserve and as such visitors are requested to keep their pets on a lead and under control.

The Upper Reservoir is beautiful. A part of the trail around the Upper Reservoir includes a boardwalk over the water. If you are with young children or pets, please be careful in this section.

From the Upper Reservoir, we circled back to the car park.

There are a number of information boards all along the route which tell interesting details about the reservoirs and the woodlands surrounding them.

Overall, we enjoyed the walk. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours in the beautiful surroundings. Like I mentioned earlier, you can make the walk as long as you want it to be. Refer to the reservoir map at the end of the post, to plan your walking route.

How to get to Linacre Reservoirs?

Linacre Reservoirs | Woodnook Lane, Cutthorpe, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S42 7AU

If you are travelling from Chesterfield, head on to Newbold Road (B6051) or Dunston Road (B6050) and continue till Upper Newbold, then turn into Cutthorpe Road. Continue until you see the brown sign for Linacre Reservoirs. Turn into Woodnook Lane and drive until you reach the car park - the first one is on the left and the second one is on the right (closer to the reservoirs).

Car Parking at Linacre Reservoirs

There are two car parks at Linacre Reservoirs - a lower car park and an upper car park. Both have limited spaces and can get busy over the weekends. The car parks are Pay & Display (carry coins) and cost £1.50 for up to 2 hours or £3 for the whole day.