Ladybower – Down The Plughole

Photo Story: Ladybower Reservoir

It’s been on my photography hit list for years, and last week I finally made it to Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District to see its famous “plugholes” in full flow.

After a spell of wet weather, the conditions were looking promising. We’d only visited Ladybower once before, on a busy summer weekend when the reservoir was packed and the water level was considerably lower. This time, with a few days off work and the water levels closely watched online over the previous week, the timing couldn’t have been better.

When we arrived, the overflow spillways were running at full force. I believe the water drops around 20 metres to the base of the dam, and standing nearby, the sheer volume and power of the water was impressive. The roar coming from the plugholes was actually quite unsettling at times.

The weather, however, was doing its best to make things difficult. After dodging the rain for most of the day, I was lucky enough to get around an hour just before the end of the day when the rain finally stopped and the conditions became calm and dry.

That was my window.

Using a 10-stop neutral density filter, I was able to push the shutter speed all the way out to around two minutes. This created that smooth, almost ethereal look in the cascading water while still capturing the incredible scale of the overflow.

The path runs surprisingly close to the plugholes, making it possible to get a great perspective looking down into the rushing water, with Bamford Edge providing a dramatic backdrop.

There are two overflow plugholes at Ladybower, and with the weather keeping most people away, I was fortunate enough to have the place almost entirely to myself. It made the experience even better—and gave me plenty of time to work through different compositions and come away with a few images I’m really happy with.

Another location ticked off the photography bucket list.

And this one was definitely worth the wait.