Dambusters

Visiting Derwent Valley was breath-taking and inspiring. It’s hard to imagine the training, let alone the mission, that the 617 squadron took before their raids on the German dams. The memorial pays tribute to those who didn’t return and those who risked their lives.

We arrived at Derwent Reservoir on a cold February morning. The sky was crystal clear and water was cascading over the top of the dam. We decided that we would cycle from Fairholmes, up the left side of Derwent Reservoir to Howden Reservoir at the end. This cycle was our first proper use of our bikes and the first time we had used the motorhome as a base for a day out; rather than just somewhere to return to.

Well…first things first…read the map. There are two routes: one for walkers and one for cyclists. The reservoir – closest to Fairholmes – pulls everyone in and people often miss the cycle route onwards. We did. We carried our bikes up a wholly unsuitable path to meet the main track. Already out of breath, we carried on. We were not at our fittest and some of the ups and downs looked purely terrifying. Still, others had previously endured much harder times so we continued onwards.

The views were incredible, and there’s something mesmerising about how water descends from a dam. We shared our visit with tourists of all nationalities and were amazed by the plight of 617 Squadron and those memorial pilots on the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in 1954 – it must have been incredible to witness.

Fairholmes provide bike hire, bike washing facilities, tea, coffee, hot soup and a plethora of small souvenirs. The parking is ample and more than adequate for a motorhome. Here we learnt that we had a problem with our waste pipe – depositing our lunch washing up water all over the floor – but this was a minor issue and thankfully quickly resolved. The people in the shop are extremely helpful and are well informed to answer any questions regarding routes or history. We would recommend this to anyone visiting the area.