Six weeks ago, Whaley Bridge was on few tourism itineraries. The pleasant small Derbyshire town tended to be overlooked by its more famous neighbours: the spa town of Buxton over the hill and the Peak District national park on its doorstep.



What a difference near-obliteration makes. Since making headlines around the world when a reservoir dam threatened to collapse and engulf half of the community on 1 August, residents have been astonished by an influx of disaster tourists. As soon as the town reopened following a mass evacuation, visitors swarmed in to take pictures of the damaged dam and support the local businesses.



Camilla Dignan, who owns the Bridge Bakehouse, says she was stunned when she saw the first busload of Chinese tourists pull up outside her bakery. “To start with it was all the locals coming back in and everyone was just so happy to see each other, and everyone was crying, and really emotional. And then all the tourists started coming in, especially in the weekends.

Everyone was asking where the reservoir is, they wanted to go and have a look because they’ve seen it on the telly … They’re coming from everywhere – I’ve seen buses of Chinese tourists honestly – [from] all over the UK. It’s bizarre, it’s really weird.”



Ever since, she has been baking around the clock. “Since the day we reopened after the evacuation we have been flat out busy, [it’s been] completely unprecedented, we used to be busy but never like this, we have been struggling to keep up in the bakery,” she says.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Camilla Dignan’s Bridge Bakehouse, in Whaley Bridge. Photograph: PR

Some call it the Chernobyl effect, drawing parallels to the popularity of tourism near the site of the Soviet nuclear reactor meltdown. Others point to a renewed community spirit, with more residents using local shops and cafes.

When the Guardian visited on a very gloomy Monday, the businesses were bustling. Several mentioned that the previous Saturday the town was “absolutely heaving” with crowds visiting markets at the canal basin, as well as food stalls and art exhibitions showcasing poems and short stories about last month’s emergency.

There has always been a large number of visitors in the town during periodic market days, but locals said this was exceptional.



Footsteps, a local community cafe run by Whaley Bridge Community Trust, has seen its takings go up 140% compared with this time last year.



Martin Thomas, the chair of Whaley Bridge Town Council and director of the cafe, which provides food and drink, sells books, and rents out rooms, says people certainly haven’t forgotten about the town. While broadcasting vans are no longer queuing down the road, there is still occasional media interest, and everybody has a story to tell.



Referring to the huge boost in takings, Thomas says: “I think it’s partly because we fulfil the need of bringing people together, and after being separated for so long, there was a great need to catch up.”

Whaley Bridge residents allowed home as dam danger recedes Read more

A commemorative booklet, Whaley Bridge: Lost & Saved, has been pulled together featuring photos of the extraordinary rescue effort.

Thomas says they had to order more to be printed thanks to the high demand, partly because visitors want a souvenir celebrating the way locals came together and continue to do so.

“Our resident photographer, Terry O’Malley, he did this little booklet, and this was on sale two days after we reopened, it’s part of the reason our takings are up,” said Thomas.

Before last month’s dramatic scenes – when extreme rainfall caused water to rush down a spillway, rip away its concrete facing and threaten to release the reservoir’s 1.2m tonnes of water on to the houses below – the town of 6,000 people was best known for its walking hotspots. The river Goyt, which runs throughout the town, has long been a favourite among seasoned hikers and those who just enjoy a leisurely stroll.

John Wakeham, whose Springbank Guest House has also reported a surge in guests, said: “It certainly feels a lot busier, people from [further afield] are coming to see Whaley Bridge, not necessarily because of the dam but it’s made people aware Whaley Bridge is here.”



He explains how his wife, a local, was no longer met with blank looks when she described where she was from. “I think the [emergency] has made people aware, but Whaley is a charming place, it’s a lovely town that’s got lots to offer and I think it’s brought people here for that.”