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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Sunday 14 August 2016

Sunday Third Walk (ex rota) - Sheffield Circular (via south westerly valleys)

SWC Walk 267 Sheffield Circular (via Porter, Limb, Sheaf and Gleadless Valleys)
                  
Length: from 15.0 km (9.4 mi) to 27.7 km (17.3 mi)
Ascent/Descent: from 430/365m to 780/732m; Net Walking Time: 4–8 hours
Toughness:  from 5/10 to 10/10

This is an ex-rota posting solely targeted at the people coming out on the Saturday to walk SWC 266. Due to rail works on the day, there is no convenient train out on Sunday morning anyway. Thanks to Pete B for allowing me to post it as a third walk. The aim is to have a relaxed walk, by starting earlier than one would if taking a train from London, and/or by cutting some of the urban start (identical to SWC 266) by taking a bus.
Return trains - affordable advance tickets for reasonably quick connections at the moment: 18.10, 18.28, 19.10 and 20.28 to KGX at £20.00, and 19.28 and 20.26 to STP at £19.50.

New Walk! We will take the opportunity to check the walk directions.
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’ll need to take a bus, regardless of where you finish.
Opportunities to avoid most of the hard surface walking at the start are described.

The recommended early lunch stop is The Norfolk Arms in Ringinglow (10.2 km/6.4 mi).
The recommended late lunch stop is The Summer House in Dore (15.0 km/9.3 mi). 
There is also the Peppercorn Restaurant next door to the Summer House.
The highly recommended tea stop in Sheffield Station is The Sheffield Tap. There is also a well-stocked supermarket in the station.

For summary, map, height profile, photos, walk directions and gpx/kml files click here.
T=swc.267

9 comments:

Thomas G said...

...travelling back on the 20.26 to St. P.

Thomas G said...

Suggested start: 09.45 outside the station.

Thomas G said...

then elenvenses at The Forge Dam Cafe...

Thomas G said...

Table for lunch booked at The Summer House

Anonymous said...

Dear Thomas
will u pls stop crowing, some of us r ill & can't go on these lovely walks,hoping u'll repeat weekend later if successful? ta

Anonymous said...

meant in a jokey way !!

Thomas G said...

crowing? me? haven't even started yet...

'tis like any old walk: if enough people turn up and afterwards express their contentedness/satifaction/delight/... with a walk, it will be re-posted.

Karen said...

n=9 w=grey_to_begin_warm_humid_sunny_for_most_of_the_day

Despite overindulgence in wine and pizza the evening before, 7 met up at Sheffield Station at 09:50-ish with plans to pick up the other two weekenders along the way. Followed the same route out of the city as the morning before. Another pitstop at the Forge Dam Cafe. Not too long after the cafe break, the walk diverted onto a different route from day 1. The previous day, we made our way through a very open landscape, whereas on this walk, much of the route was through wooded areas. Some steepish climbs, which at the time seemed horrible, but on reflection, were worth it.

A very nice relaxed lunch at The Summer House where lunchtime cocktails were the order of the day... A steep climb after lunch through another wooded area. A stop for ice cream at the Rose Garden Cafe was much needed as the sun was at the most intense it had been all weekend. Not long after, one walker had to catch the bus as he was booked on an early train. We continued on, now in the suburbs of Sheffield and discovering how hilly it is. And also how much nice parkland they have at their disposal.

Everyone eventually got back to the city centre, dispersed for food and drinks and two to the train. 6 eventually met up at the Sheffield Tap at the station and on to the train where over the course of two and a half hours they managed to deplete the stocks of red wine in the buffet car.

So, for an overall assessment of the weekend, I'd have to say that it was very fun indeed. Nice to stay over, but even if you don't fancy that option, the Sheffield to Bamford walk is worth the day trip. At this time of the year, a very feasible option.

The only blight on the weekend was someone's insistence on reading aloud 'fun' facts from the CAMRA magazine on the train journey back to London. As we are good people, we indulged this quirk, but hope it never happens again.

Thomas G said...

reg. CAMRA-mag...remind me: what again were the origins of the saying to 'mind your p's and q's' ? just checking...