There’s no end of impressive sights to be found around Greater Manchester, whether you’re into ravines that look like Lord of the Rings settings or incredible skyscrapers that tower over the city centre.
But there’s one particular hike in the Peak District that’s so impressive it will take your breath away (and we don’t just mean from the effort of walking uphill).
The Alport Castles walk takes in everything from geological formations to massive lakes to manmade structures.
One of which is the Derwent Dam, a massive structure that towers 34m overhead and is flanked by twin Victorian-Gothic towers at either end.
If you catch it when the water cascades over it, you’ll witness a spectacle like no other.
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Building the dam in the early 1900s was such an intense and laborious process that an entire town was built here to house the 1000-odd workers involved in its construction.
A specially created railway was also built to bring the enormous stones it’s made from to the valley from the Bole Hill quarries.
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But as well as being a mighty sight to behold, the Derwent Dam holds historical significance from the purpose it served during World War Two.
The 617 Squadron used the dam to practice their low-level flying, in preparation for the Dam Busters raid against the Germans. The dam has a lot of similarity to the German dams and is now adorned with a commemorative plaque.
The view from the top of Derwent Dam from the Alport Castles walk. Credit: GetLostMCRThe Alport Castles route includes beautiful woodland. Credit: GetLostMCRAlport Castles in the Peak District. Credit: GetLost MCR
Occasionally, legendary planes like the Lancaster Bomber will still fly overhead to mark the work of the 617 Squadron.
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The dam stands at one end of the Derwent Reservoir and was constructed to keep up with the huge demand for water from the booming industries in Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester.
There’s so much water in this part of the Peak District, it’s been referred to as the Lake District of the Peaks.
If you’re eager to get out for some brisk winter fresh air, our pal GetLostMCR has pulled together the most perfect walk, which takes in lakes, views, woodland, and that iconic dam.
The nine mile route is named after Alport Castles, another feature you’ll pass on your way round.
It’s not actually a castle, but rather a tumble of boulders caused by what’s said to be the largest landslip in Britain – it doesn’t take much imagination to see how this geological feature resembles a castle.
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GetLostMCR’s circular route starts at Fairholmes Car Park and Visitor Centre and you’ll get to visit the best of Derwent Reservoir, Derwent Valley Woodlands, Rowlee Pasture and Alport Castles.
The good-to-knows
Car Parks
The route starts at Fairholmes Car Park. The car park does fill up quickly on weekends, so advice is to visit off-peak where possible.
Start: Fairholmes Car Park, Bamford, Hope Valley, S33 0AQ
Toilet facilities at Fairholmes Visitor Centre
Bicycle Hire – Derwent Valley is a great place to explore cycling trails
Cafes
There’s a refreshment kiosk at the car park, which is open everyday 8am until 6pm (later if there is demand), selling takeaway drinks, snacks and hot food.
Pubs
Ladybower Inn (7 min drive from visitor centre)
Yorkshire Bridge Inn (8 min drive from visitor centre)
Inside Levenshulme Antiques Village, Manchester’s three-story treasure trove of vintage finds
Daisy Jackson
If you’re the sort of person who gets a real kick out of saying ‘Thanks, it’s vintage’, then you probably already know of Levenshulme Antiques Village. But if not, allow us to show you around a little.
This three-story hypermarket has been trading out of the former Levenshulme Town Hall for decades, filling the 127-year-old building with items potentially even older.
It’s a vast antiques centre where every twist in the maze reveals vintage furniture, collectibles, artwork and curiosities from every era imaginable.
The building itself still carries plenty of charm and history from the building’s past as the local council offices, and thankfully very little of its personality was stripped away in the process of transforming the building into the Levenshulme Antiques Village.
Today, visitors still climb the grand staircase beneath soaring ceilings and pass through hallways lined with original wall-to-wall ceramic tiles.
There’s free parking outside (which is good, because you’re likely to leave with a boot-full of treasure), and once inside, the scale of the place quickly becomes apparent.
Friendly traders fill the building, many of whom are more than happy to chat, share stories behind their stock, or guide visitors towards hidden gems tucked away in quieter rooms. And there are plenty of gems to uncover.
A room packed with mid-century furnitureLevenshulme Antiques Village is a treasure trove of vintage findsJust look at this lot…
From antique furniture and oil paintings to jewellery, records, ceramics and shelves overflowing with nicknacks, the village rewards slow wandering. One moment you might stumble across a beautifully carved temple door; the next, a collection of vintage signs or a perfectly preserved mid-century cabinet.
The top floor is perhaps the most striking space of all. Once a ballroom, the enormous room still retains a sense of grandeur, with high ceilings and huge windows flooding the space with natural light, but is now transformed into a densely packed emporium of antiques and collectibles.
Outside, the experience continues with artist workshops and creative studios, among them is craftsman Kip Kaboli, known for producing handcrafted Japanese knives and even hosting oyster events. It’s an unusual but fitting addition to a place that celebrates both heritage and craftsmanship.
Old ceramic tiles still line the hallwaysThe on-site tearoom at Levenshulme Antiques Village
Halfway through exploring, many visitors end up at the affordable tearoom on the first floor, serving comforting classics like salad sandwiches and afternoon teas.
What makes Levenshulme Antiques Village special is not simply the volume of antiques packed inside, but the atmosphere, the warm welcome from traders, and the weird and wonderful history of the place.
Rules around booking driving tests in UK change from today to make system ‘fairer’
Emily Sergeant
The rules around booking driving tests in the UK are officially set to change from today in a bid to make the system ‘fairer’.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has now introduced new rules for car driving test bookings, putting learners ‘firmly in control’ of their own booking, as it is now against the law for third parties – including unofficial test booking and cancellation finder services, as well as driving instructors – to make bookings for someone else.
It will also be a breach of DVSA’s terms and conditions for the booking service for third parties to change, swap, or cancel a driving test for someone else.
Learners should only ever pay the official DVSA fee – which is £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
The Government says the new rules aim to make booking driving tests ‘fairer’ for learner drivers.
While driving instructors will no longer be able to book tests on behalf of of learners, they will still be able to advise learners on when they are ready to take a test, as well as set their available times to prevent learners from booking tests at times that do not work for them.
Following on from changes to test alterations which were introduced at the end of March, from 9 June 2026, further restrictions will come into force limiting learners to moving their test only to one of the three nearest driving test centres.
The DVSA has also pledged to continue increasing driving examiner capacity to help provide more tests for learners to book.
“Our priority is to stop learners being exploited by third parties, put them in control of their driving test, and make the process fairer by clamping down on businesses that resell tests at inflated prices,” commented Beverley Warmington, who is the DVSA Chief Executive.
“These new measures help bring a halt to a system where the use of bots and third parties increases the amount some learners pay for a test and blocks test availability for many others.
Daisy Jackson -
26th November 2023 
