Sheffield ~ Medium Walk

Distance Covered: 8 miles Time to complete walk:  3.5 hours

Suitable for dog walking: Yes - on a lead when near traffic

Total Steps: approx. 20,500

Safety Tips:  At the start of the walk be careful near the busy traffic when crossing the road. The canal route on the way back may be slippy after rain. Take a walking stick if the weather has been rainy.

A different kind of walk alongside the River Don to Sheffield town centre and back by the canal. See Sheffields industrial past and new urban redevelopment at the Victoria Quays. Starting from the Meadowhall shopping complex, there are plenty of places to eat or shop there or at Victoria Quays. A detour to the Kelham Island Museum is worth a visit for more interesting details of Sheffields industrial past. Parking is at the Meadowhall Shopping Centre and is free of charge. The walk starts outside the food complex called the Oasis.

 

The Sheffield Walk

Getting There
Follow the A19 southbound to join the A1(M) southbound. When the motorway merges into two follow the M1 signed to Leeds. Keep on the M1 until junction 34 and follow the road signs to Meadowhall. Parking is plentiful and free at the shopping centre. Head to the food complex Oasis when inside Meadowhall and the walk starts outside the complex alongside the River Don.

 

Map of the Sheffield walk

 

 

The Walk



Starting the walk outside the Oasis food complex, facing the River Don head left beside the river.

 

Outside the Oasis food complex

 

Head left alongside the River Don

 

Pass under a bridge and bear right onto a road to Weedon Street.

 

 

 

Go under the bridge

 

Turn right onto the road



Cross over the road and follow the path to the right until you come across one of the many Five Weirs arches you will see on the walk. Follow the path ahead.

 

Cross the road

 

Go under the Five Weirs arch and follow the path ahead

 

Follow the path with views of the river to your right until you come to another arch.

 

 

View of the river below

 

Go under the arch

 

Turn right and follow the road which is Carbrook Road until you come to a very busy road.

 

 

Turn right onto Carbrook Road

 

Turn right at the busy road

 

Keeping to the same side of the road,  follow it to the right and over a road and passing a roundabout. Then head over the busy road and turn right. If stuck at this point refer to your mobile phone and look for Bold Street which you are heading for.

 

 

Cross the road carefully

 

Keep on the path

 

Cross the road and turn right

 

Head down the path and then turn left into Bold Street.

 

 

Head right down the path

 

Turn left into Bold Street

 

Cross the road when you see a familiar Five Weirs walk blue sign and head down to a bridge over the river.

 

 

Follow the direction of the Five Weirs walk sign

 

Head towards the bridge

 

Cross over the bridge and onto the walkway on the other side of the river.

 

 

View from the bridge

 

Head onto the walkway

 



Follow the path until you reach another bridge and switch to the other side of the river.

 

Follow the path ahead

 

Cross over to the other side of the river

 

Head down the path

The path then continues over the road crossing over another bridge with the now familiar arch. At the time of the walk this footpath was closed, so a diversion would be to follow the road to the left and then right onto another bridge. If you have done this diversion go back to the Five Weirs arch to your right and then head left under the bridge.

 

Go through the arch

 

Head back to the riverside path which passes under the bridge

 

Following the path under the bridge you will now pass the Salmon Pastures Nature Reserve. Keep to the riverside path.

 

 

 

Pass under the bridge

 

Salmon Pastures Nature Reserve

 

Follow the path and keep on it as it swerves to the right and onto a road through another arch.



 

Keep on the path

 

Follow the path to the right

 

Go under two arches

After the second arch turn left and cross the road under a railway bridge. You will soon see a familiar arch to the left and go through the arch.

 

Go under the railway bridge

 

Go under the arch

Follow this covered path across the river to a road and turn right.

 

Cross over the river

 

Turn right at the road

Before the viaduct ahead, look for another blue sign and turn right to head for a cobweb type footbridge.

 

Turn right before the viaduct

 

Go onto the footbridge

 

Follow the footbridge and follow the path until which passes by the Holiday Inn Express and onto Blonk Street.

 

 

Follow the footbridge under the viaduct

 

Keep on the path ahead

 

Turn left onto Blonk Street



Cross the road and spot the Victoria Quays entrance ahead which is an arch.

 

Head towards the arched entrance

 

Enter Victoria Quays

 


This is the start of the return journey by the canal. Look for a small footbridge over the canal to the right. There are small cafes and shops here if you fancy a pitstop.

 

 

Canal boats at Victoria Quays

 

Cross the small footbridge

 

Follow the path ahead which is by the canal.

 

 

 

Follow the canal path

 

The canal path is a long one, however it is straight forward passing under various bridges.

 

 

Boats on the canal

 

Follow the canal path

 

Sign on bridge

 

Keep on the path until you come to the Motor Point Arena which is a large white building.

 

 

Canal Path views

 

 

As you come to the arena the path ends and you need to cross the footbridge and head towards the other side of the canal where the path continues.

 

 

 

Head for the footbridge

 

View of the Motorpoint Arena from the bridge

 

Head down to the canal path on the other side

 

Follow the path for some time which passes various canal locks.

 

 

Pass by the canal locks

 

You now need to keep on the path until you come to bridge 18 and you can hear the busy traffic of the M1 ahead.

 

 

Sign on bridge 18

 

Look for an A shaped gate signed to Meadowhall. and follow the path over a footbridge and cross the tramline carefully. Cross the road and enter the Meadowhall shopping centre and the car park.

 

 

Go through the A shaped gate

 

Cross over the footbridge

 

Cross the tramline carefully

 

Meadowhall

 

 

 

Victoria Quays

 



Victoria Quays (formerly Sheffield Canal Basin) is a large canal basin in Sheffield, England. It was constructed 1816–1819 as the terminus of the Sheffield Canal (now part of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation) and includes the former coal yards of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. The basin ceased operation as a cargo port in 1970 and the site and buildings were largely neglected. A restoration and redevelopment of 1992–1994 reopened the site providing new office and business space and leisure facilities as well as berths for leisure canal boats. There are a number of Grade II listed buildings on the site. These include the original Terminal Warehouse of 1819, the Straddle Warehouse (1895–1898), a grain warehouse (c. 1860),and a curved terrace of coal merchant's offices (c. 1870).

As well as local businesses including CMS (International Law Firm) and Servelec (UK headquartered technology group) there is Victoria Junction Café and sandwich shop, Livingwell gym, Hilton hotel, Narrowboat moorings, a brokerage and chandlery service (C.V. Marine) & two wide beam hotel boats (Houseboathotels, Sheffield) providing hotel accommodation on the water. Newcomers include; Born & Raise who joined the premises in 2015 as a Marketing Agency and most recently Ovo Spaces an award-winning specialist interior design and fit-out company, who now own both Terminal 1 for their offices and Terminal 2 as a unique event space, available to hire for conferences, meetings and more.
In early 2015 Sheffield Creative Agency 'We Are' purchased 3,500 sq ft of office space on the ground floor of the Grade II-listed Grain and Terminal Building which had been vacant for 20 years