Round Combs Reservoir and Across Dickie's Meadow

Combs lies in a quite corner of north west Derbyshire, off the road between Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge and beneath the sombre crag-fringed slopes of Combs Moss. I wouldn't have known about the place if my wife Nicola hadn't been invited to sail in the Byte Open held at the local reservoir. I thought I'd have a brief wander while she prepared for the first race, but my wanderings lasted well into the afternoon. I'd discovered a fine little corner of Derbyshire, tucked well away from the crowds of Castleton, or the hordes of Hathersage.

The route starts by the west side of the dam on a narrow path between the lake and Meveril Brook. Red campion, and thickets of dog rose line the path, which rounds the reservoir to its southern tip. Here I saw a pair of great crested grebes swimming among the rushes. Beyond the reservoir the path tucks under the railway, which brings to mind a mysterious story concerning Ned Dixon, who lived in nearby Tunstead Farm. Ned, or Dickie as he was known, was brutally murdered by his cousin. Locals say his spirit lived on in his skull, which was left outside to guard against intruders. Strange things were said to happen when anybody tried to remove the skull. It is also claimed that the present road from Combs to Chapel was constructed because the railway bridge would not stand over Dane Hey Road. After the first bridge was completed it collapsed, burying the workmen's tools. This was blamed on the skull: Dickie had been against the railway going across Tunstead land.

A lane with hedges of honeysuckle and hawthorn winds into the village of Combs, where a handful of stone-built cottages are centred on the welcoming Beehive Inn. Combs' most famous son is Herbert Froode. He made his name in automotive engineering as one of the inventors of the brake lining. Starting out in the early 1890s he developed woven cotton brakes for horse drawn wagons, but his ideas didn't really take off until 1897 when the first motor buses emerged. Froode applied his knowledge of brakes to this much greater challenge and by the end of the century had won a contract to supply brake linings for the new London omnibuses. Ferodo, his company, is an anagram of his surname.

Through the village the route takes to the hillsides. Now Combs Reservoir, which is spread beneath your feet, looks every bit a natural lake. Beyond it are the plains of Manchester and the hazy blue West Pennine horizon. In the other direction the gritstone cliffs of Combs Edge, which look rather like those of Kinder Scout, overshadow the sullen combe of Pyegreave Brook. This very pleasing walk ends as it starts, by the shores of the reservoir. If you look along the line of the dam towards the right of two farms, you'll see where Dickie lived. He's probably watching you, too.

While you're there

Take a good look around Chapel-en-le-Frith, a fine market town with a cobbled market square and the 14th-century Church of St Thomas à Becket. In 1648 1,500 Scottish soldiers were taken prisoner and locked in the church after the Battle of Ribbleton Moor. Forty-eight of them died in what was to be known as the Black Hole of Derbyshire.

What to look for

On a bright winter's day in 1995 a group of birdwatchers saw something they hadn't been expecting. While wandering by the hedge along the west shores of the reservoir they came across some huge clawed footprints 3½ins (89mm) wide, which were sunk deep into the mud. These didn't belong to any dog. After studying the photographs they had taken it became obvious that a huge cat had been on the prowl - probably the infamous Peak Panther that has had many sightings on the nearby hills above Chinley and Hayfield.

Where to eat and drink

The Beehive at Combs is a splendid little pub serving fine bar meals. Alternatively, there's the more formal Hanging Gate Inn at Cockyard just before you get back to the reservoir dam.