Carsington Water is rightly regarded as a Mecca for water sports enthusiasts, with sailing, canoing, sail-boarding (wind-surfing,) and with many other purpose built facilities on the site. Local yachtswoman Ellen McArthur learned to sail here, and both equipment and instructors are available for hire to budding sailors. There’s even excellent fly fishing for brown trout!
There are book and gift shops, tea-rooms, a cafe and a 120-seater restaurant, wildlife centre, cycle-hire.
For the naturalist and the more adventurous, there are a number of specially created bird sanctuaries and reed-bed water gardens, and many rambles and trails accessible from the shoreline pathway, which also doubles as a cycle route which circumnavigates the reservoir.
There are a number of sympathetically sited picnic areas, and dogs are allowed providing they are kept under control. The whole complex is wheelchair friendly and mobility scooters can be hired on site, and most importantly, access to all facilities, including the lakeside areas is free of charge! The whole lakeside has been sympathetically landscaped, and thousands of newly planted trees have matured to add depth and colour to the backcloth of the green Peak District hills, and there is little wonder that Carsington Water has become one of the East Midlands top tourist attractions.