Easy to strenuous excursion through the south westerly wooded valleys of Sheffield . Lots of bluebells and wild garlic.
Length: from 15.0 km (9.4 mi) to 27.7 km (17.3 mi)
Cumulative ascent/descent: from 325/259 to 664/618m.
Buses or trains take you back to the station from various points on the route, for details see below
Net Walking Time: 4–8 hours.
Toughness: from 3/10 to 8/10
Meet at Sheffield Station at 09.15.
From the Hope Valley , take the train arriving Sheffield at 09.05.
Return trains to London : frequent. Either direct to St. Pancras, last at 21.45; or indirect into King’s Cross (change at Doncaster), last at 22.11.
This walk leads from the hustle and bustle at the centre of one of the most populous British cities through gradually less urban areas into excellent walking country – with ancient escarpment woodlands, tumbling streams and panoramic views – through the scenic, wooded valleys of Sheffield’s south west, the greenest and cleanest of Britain’s large towns.
Escape from Sheffield’s City Centre, first along streets and through the atmospheric landscaped Victorian General Cemetery , then the woodlands of the municipal Endcliffe Park and the narrow wooded Porter Valley (part ancient woodlands, part plantation or meadows) to a viewpoint on the edge of moorlands at the fringe of the Peak District , and from there to the early lunch option (with views) in Ringinglow.
Continue by descending through the steep-sided Limb Valley, Whirlow Brook Park and Ecclesall Woods to Dore, a late lunch stop and your first chance for an early finish: a train or a bus back to the City Centre. Several other opportunities for early finishes by bus arise in the further stages of the walk, whose following woodlands and valleys offer somewhat diminishing returns in pleasure and in ‘otherness’. From Dore you climb once again through Ladies’ Spring Wood and Chancet Wood to Graves Park.
From there the walk continues through the Gleadless Valley and Meersbrook Park back to the City Centre, but for the return to Sheffield Midland Station you will need to take a bus, regardless of where you finish.
The route includes large parts of the waymarked ‘Sheffield Round Walk’ , but diverges in places. Opportunities to avoid most of the hard surface walking at the start are described.
Walk Options:
To cut some – or all – of the tarmac-heavy urban stretches at the start take one of the bus shortcut options from Sheffield Interchange (see the walk directions for how to get there from the train station). Details about bus frequency, bus stops to use, and the exact walk route once off the bus are provided at the end of the main walk text under ‘Bus Shortcuts’:
cut 1.6 km net: bus 218 to Sheffield Cemetery;
cut 3.2 km net: buses 6/65/181/271/272 to Endcliffe Park;
cut 3.8 km net: bus 120 to Whiteley Wood;
cut 6.2 km net: bus 120 to Forge Dam Café.
cut 6.2 km net: bus 120 to Forge Dam Café.
You can take a train back to Sheffield from Dore & Totley Station (15.0 km/9.4 mi) on the Hope Valley Line (8 mins journey time).
You can take a bus back to the City Centre from many places along the route, from Dore onwards.
Lunch: The Norfolk Arms in Ringinglow (10.2 km/6.4 mi, food served all day) or The Summer House in Dore (15.0 km/9.3 mi, food served all day).
Tea: The Rose Garden Café (open to 16.00) plus plenty of options in Sheffield City Centre.
For walk directions, map, height profile , photos and gpx/kml files click here . T=swc.267