Yorkshire has so much to offer, and the Peak District is one of its most cherished gems. For a small island nation, the UK has so many breathtaking national parks.

I don’t understand why so many tourists visit the UK just to stay in the City of London. Yes, it might have the Queen’s Guard, the famous Big Ben, the ancient City of London Corporation; but if you only stay in London, you truly haven’t visited the UK.

About the Peak District

It’s a huge national park in the midlands, most of which is in northern Derbyshire. But just like the Yorkshire Dales National Park, there are many villages in the Peak District and people do live within the area.

Just looking at the map, you might be mistaken for thinking the area is remote. A lot of it is, but there are many towns within the Peak District and a few main roads to allow locals to get in and out of the area easily. But, nestled within these towns and villages are not just farms and open land – but beautiful forests and rivers in the most unlikely places that are freely accessible to the public.

Planning and Arriving at Langsett

To be honest, my ‘planning’ mostly consisted of looking on Google Maps, seeing a place called Langsett and noticing that the area had a walking trail through a forest with free parking nearby. So off I went exploring!

Langsett is a very small village in Sheffield, with a tiny population of just over 200 people. When you arrive at Langsett via the A616, there are two free car parks, the largest being the Langsett Barn Car Park, but both places give you access to the same walking trails towards and around Langsett Reservoir, albeit on opposite sides.

I always love visiting the Langsett Reservoir, but I do sometimes struggle to get parked at the Langsett Barn Car Park, but there is an off-road layby just after the Flouch Roundabout on the A616 that usually has ample parking.

Near the Langsett Barn Car Park you’ll come across a very ‘spotty’ Bank View Cafe, so if you park at the off-road layby instead, you’ll get to enjoy a very pleasant stroll towards the cafe along the reservoir in spectacular woodland.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Hiking up hills

If trees aren’t your thing but the open moors are, this area of the Peak District still has a lot to offer. I eventually had to start turning back because it just seemed to never end. And after looking at the map, I can see why – you can easily hike non-stop towards Howden Reservoir and beyond.

Yes, that is a steep incline that you can see in the distance. I’m not sure whether dog walking is allowed here (I don’t see why not – it’s open moorland?) but I did notice a few prohibitory signs when walking through some of the woodland towards the area. It appears only certain places don’t permit dog walkers though.

Not all of the land here is publicly owned so some areas are entirely off-limits to everyone, but Yorkshire Water allows the public access to some of their land close to the Langsett Reservoir. You’ll see signposts for “Yorkshire Water Permissive Path”.

Remember, the laws on public rights of way is not quite as permissive in England and Wales as it is in Scotland and some other European countries, so if you’re visiting the area be aware there is no presumed right of way under English law.

Turning back from the moorland

After I decided to turn back from the moorland, I came across small streams surrounded by open land perfect for having a picnic or reading a book, and I often saw groups of people taking a spot in the sun to do just that. Meanwhile, I decided to try walking over these stepping stones to cross a small stream and got completely soaked instead. Remember the photo with the bridge at the beginning of the article? Yeah, I only noticed that afterwards.

Walking to Bank View Cafe

As I mentioned before, there is a cafe near the Langsett Barn Car Park. It has quite a nice rustic feel to it inside, and I noticed they also sell nicknacks and postcards alongside the usual food and drink options you would expect from an English cafe. It’s the first time I’ve noticed a cafe selling postcards and nicknacks.

They accepted card and contactless payments when I went there, which was a welcome surprise for such a small cafe in what is a small village.

I ordered a BLT with a cup of tea. The sandwich was OK, but they overfilled it with salad to the point that the sandwich was just falling apart and not enjoyable to try and eat.

They offer a wide-variety of hot meals, but they also have a reasonable selection of vegetarian and vegan food if that’s your preference, but I hadn’t tried any so I can’t comment on how good those options are.

Conclusion

There is so much to explore in this beautiful part of England and it seems like there’s always something new to explore here.

If you’re planning to visit England for a holiday and are landing in London first, there is absolutely no excuse not to take a domestic flight into Leeds Bradford Airport, rent a car (and drive on the left! 😉) and visit beautiful places like Langsett as soon as possible!