found a little bit of the Scottish Highlands [above and below] Derwent Reservoir
in the Midlands.”
For outdoor writer and local expert Roly
Smith, however, they don’t hold quite so
much charm. “he Upper Derwent is an
entirely unnatural landscape, in that the
water wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for the
dams and they’re still surrounded by vast
coniferous plantations which were put
in for water purity,” he explains. “Water
and trees together for most people are
very attractive, whether they’re natural
or not. But I’m a purist. I understand why
they were put in, of course. Ater the First
World War there was a great worry that
there wouldn’t be enough water for the big
industrial cities, and they’re still needed
from that point of view, but if they were
built today I don’t think we would surround
them with coniferous plantations.”
I descend through one of these areas
of forestry, the aptly named Woodlands
Valley, to get from Win Hill to the banks
The Great Outdoors Spring 2019 51