Tittesworth Water/Reservoir, near Leek in Staffordshire – our review and tips
We take our children for a picnic, walk and play at Tittesworth Water in the Peak District National Park.
What is it?
This family day out is around a water storage reservoir with walks, a good outdoor play area and cafe/restaurant.
The reservoir, fed by the River Churnet, is run by Sever Trent Water and was built in 1858.
The water from it can supply up to 45 million litres a day to homes and businesses.
The reservoir
Where is it?
It’s in the village of Meerbrook in the Peak District National Park, just off the A53, three miles north of Leek.
What did we think?
This was a lovely day out, with a good mixture of walking and fun for the children in the play area. It was a sunny day and we took a picnic. We also had a snack later at the café, where you can sit inside or out.
The café/restaurant
Our highlights
*The walk – there are two main, signed routes – a red one of 1.5 miles or a yellow one of five miles, they both start out the same so you can decide further into the walk.
We did the red route – it’s not a circular route around the lake, the first part (which you also travel back along) is open and the second part through woodland. The longer, yellow walk is said to have wonderful views and is hilly but the red is billed as wheelchair and buggy-friendly, but is narrower and certainly not flat in places.
*The play area – a good size with some exciting equipment for different ages and a sand pit.
The play area
Top tips
*Some navigation systems (including Google Maps when we visited) take you to a farm. Helpfully they’ve put a sign up explaining it is not the reservoir.
*You can’t swim in the water but if you want to get on to it, go to Tittesworth Water Sports and Activity Centre. From there you can try sailing, kayaking, raft building and paddle boarding. For more information see this link.
*If you want to plan a walking route before you get there you can download a map of the site here.
Tittesworth Reservoir information
Food: There are plenty of areas for picnics (barbecues are not allowed). There is a nice cafe/restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. It has a lunchtime children’s menu, with meals like pasta or sausages for around £4.25 or a child’s lunchbox, available all day, for £4.35. There are baby’s food and bottle warming facilities in the restaurant too. You can also buy ice creams from a kiosk in the corner of the play area.
Opening hours: Open every day except Christmas Day. Visitor centre opening hours are: April to September 10am to 6pm. February, March and October, 10am to 5pm. November, December and January 10am to 4pm.
Cost: Entry is free, car park is £3 for two hours and £5 for all day.
Best for: All ages.
Time needed: As much as you want depending on the child’s age, you could easily fill three hours.
Access and restrictions:
*The red route is signposted as suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
*Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a lead.
*There are toilets around the site, including those with disabled and baby changing facilities.
Address: Tittesworth Reervoir, Meerbrook, Leek, Staffordshire, ST13 8SW.