Slippery Stones

There is no parking at the swim spot itself; you park down the valley and walk or cycle in. Two realistic options:

• Kings Tree (weekdays only): roadside parking at the turning circle at the north end of the public road, roughly one mile (about a 20-minute walk) from Slippery Stones. The road north of the Fairholmes roundabout is closed to most motor vehicles on weekends and bank holidays from Easter Saturday to October, and on Sundays the rest of the year. Parking is limited.
• Fairholmes Visitor Centre (all week, pay and display): the main valley car park at the base of Derwent Dam. From here it is roughly 5–6 miles, about a 90-minute walk each way, or a shorter cycle, to Slippery Stones. There are toilets, a refreshment kiosk and cycle hire on site.

Notes:

• Parking charges at Fairholmes (checked July 2025): up to 2 hours £3.50, 2–4 hours £6.00, over 4 hours £7.00; pay by machine or RingGo. Charges apply every day including bank holidays.
• The valley road is narrow; beyond Fairholmes it is subject to seasonal vehicle restrictions. Expect limited spaces on sunny summer days.

Best months are roughly June to September, when the water is at its warmest (still cold) and the walk in is pleasant. In winter the spot is bitterly cold and better suited only to experienced cold-water swimmers.

• Best time: warm, settled summer days; weekdays are much better than weekends for crowds and car access to Kings Tree.
• Crowding: it can get busy on sunny summer days and bank holidays; arrive early. The upstream pool is quieter than the bridge.
• Access by season: the valley road beyond Fairholmes closes to cars on weekends and bank holidays from Easter Saturday to October, and on Sundays the rest of the year, which lengthens the trip if you are not arriving by car on a weekday.
• Rain effect: the river rises fast after heavy rain and can become dangerous; avoid swimming during and shortly after heavy rain and allow flows to drop.
• Facilities/hire season: Fairholmes cycle hire runs roughly April–October.

Access status: tolerated. Slippery Stones sits on National Trust open-access moorland above Howden Reservoir and is a long-established wild swimming spot. In practice swimming here is widely done and not actively prevented, but there is no explicit statutory right to swim in England.

Key points:

• Not the reservoir. Swimming is prohibited in Howden, Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs (operational water managed by Severn Trent). Slippery Stones is on the river above Howden Reservoir, which is why it is used for swimming.
• National Park guidance that applies here. The Peak District National Park Authority’s web guidance for the area sets out that visitors should not enter water except as part of supervised organised events and that reservoirs are not for bathing; Slippery Stones is not a designated or signed swimming area, so that guidance applies to this spot.
• Land. The swim sits on National Trust High Peak Estate open-access land. No specific landowner prohibition or "no swimming" signage at the pool has been reported.

Treat this as a long-tolerated but unofficial swim spot: follow any signage that appears, observe open-access rules, and be considerate to the land and other visitors.

This is not a designated bathing water and so is not routinely monitored by the Environment Agency; there is no Official Excellent/Good/Sufficient/Poor classification for Slippery Stones. Treat cleanliness as unknown and manage the usual river risks.

• Not designated. There is no EA bathing-water classification for this spot.
• Upstream catchment. The headwaters drain peat moorland with no sewage treatment works or monitored storm overflows above Howden Reservoir, which reduces the local sewage contamination risk compared with lowland rivers.
• Peat staining. The brown tint comes from natural tannins in the peat, not pollution; the water can be clear despite its colour.
• Blue-green algae. The National Park warns blue-green algae can occur in standing water in the Peak District and can be very dangerous to dogs; the risk in a flowing river pool is lower than in the reservoirs but not zero, particularly in warm, still spells.
• After rain. Follow the usual advice to avoid swimming for 48 hours after heavy rain, both for safety from faster, colder flows and to reduce exposure to washed-in runoff.

Family-friendly in good summer conditions, with close supervision. The shallows and mini waterfalls near the bridge suit paddling and rockpool-style play, and there is grass for picnics, but the long walk and lack of facilities matter.

• Paddling/shallows: a gentle bank and natural platform on one side offer a good place for little ones to paddle; shallower water is by the packhorse bridge.
• Deep pool caution: the main pool is commonly reported at 3–4 metres with a current and is cold; supervise closely and keep children within their depth.
• Lifeguards: none.
• Food/toilets/baby changing: none at the spot; nearest facilities are at Fairholmes a long way down the valley. Bring everything you need and take litter home.

Dogs are welcome in the valley and no spot-specific dog ban at Slippery Stones was found, but keep them under close control for grazing sheep and ground-nesting birds on the approach.

• Dog policy: allowed; keep dogs on leads or under close control near livestock.
• Water hazard for dogs: the pool has steep sides and a raised bank, which can make getting out difficult for dogs; consider the gentler shallows by the bridge instead.
• Blue-green algae: algal blooms can be very dangerous to dogs; keep dogs away from any water with visible scum, especially in warm weather.
• Rinse-off / dog-friendly pubs: there are no rinse facilities at the spot; the nearest dog-friendly pub is the Yorkshire Bridge Inn near Ladybower Dam.

Honest verdict: the swim spot itself is not step-free accessible. Access to the water is over slippery, uneven natural rock, and even the shortest approach is roughly a mile from the nearest weekday parking. The reservoir tracks are, however, unusually good for wheeled access compared with many wild swims.

• Blue Badge: blue-badge holders may drive the valley road when it is otherwise closed to cars, and blue-badge parking is free in Peak District National Park Authority car parks. Parking near Kings Tree is limited.
• Path: reservoir tracks are largely level and firm and are used by pushchairs and mobility scooters; however the riverbank and entry at the pool are rough rock, not a graded slipway.
• Accessible toilets: at Fairholmes only. There is no Changing Places facility identified.
• Entry gradient: variable natural rock; no ramp and no step-free water entry.

There are no facilities at the swim spot, no toilets, no drinking water, no bins, no changing. Everything is back down the valley at Fairholmes.

• Toilets: at Fairholmes Visitor Centre only (public toilets, accessible toilet), a long walk or cycle from the spot.
• Café/shop: refreshment kiosk at Fairholmes, plus village facilities in Bamford.
• Drinking water/bins: none at the spot; bring water and take litter home.
• Phone signal: none in the Upper Derwent Valley; nearest signal on the A57 at Ashopton.
• Defibrillator / nearest A&E: nearest defibrillator likely at Fairholmes/Bamford, not identified at the spot; verify locally. Nearest major A&E is in Sheffield; check current local provision before you travel.
• Lifebuoys/throwlines on site: none reported; verify locally if this is critical to your plan.

• Local swim interest: there are active local and national wild-swimming communities and forums that carry on-the-ground reports for this spot; check them for recent conditions and visitor notes.
• Groups: the Bluetits Chill Swimmers and other open groups sometimes have local chapters in the Sheffield/Peak District area that use similar spots.
• Events: no organised swimming event specific to Slippery Stones was identified; verify locally if you need event information.