Ecclesall Road, Whirlow Bridge, Ringinglow, and Beauchief Abbey

I gave it a bit a thought this morning before deciding to go on my planned walk; I pulled a muscle in my right arm yesterday afternoon when I was helping my friend to move house...I was lifting a heavy suitcase, packed with hardback books.

I took some photographs of some different areas of Sheffield city centre as I searched for the bus stop from where my bus towards Whirlow would depart. None of the photos was any good though, so I've not included them today.

I travelled as far up Ecclesall Road as the bus would take me and then walked the final mile or so to the footpath next to the entrance of Whirlowbrook Park. It was a steady climb up to Ringinglow Road: there were some impressive views of Sheffield opening up as I got higher.

It was then a steady climb back downhill through some pleasant pastoral countryside until I reached Forge Dam Cafe in the bottom of the valley - there are public toilets here. I ordered a pot of tea and a toasted teacake from the cafe and sat right next to the warm radiator...after first looking at the paintings hanging on the wall. They're all done by local artists and are for sale as are similar paintings at other cafes in the Peak District area. I managed to get six cups of tea out of the pot...and the extra hot water which I always ask for.

I took the footpath which went up to the millpond and then walked along the road for nearly a mile until I reached the next path which took me back down into Porter Clough, but further up the valley.

The next path took me straight out of the clough, up to Ringinglow.

I returned to Whirlow Bridge via the Limb Valley and Whirlowbrook Park, passing in front of Whirlowbrook Hall; there are some disused toilets in the park.

Before crossing over Hathersage Road I noticed this date plate on an old wrought iron sign; I'm assuming that the initials D.C.C. stand for 'Derbyshire County Council.' I think this part of Whirlow was actually in Derbyshire until the county boundary was re-drawn a few years after this date, 1933.

I crossed over Hathersage Road and meandered down through Ecclesall Woods to Abbeydale Road.

[It doesn't open on Mondays so I wasn't tempted]

I turned left up Twentywell Lane, just beyond Dore and Totley Station and then left again, climbing up through some steep woodland until I reached more level ground at the top, walking next to a field where a herd of deer was grazing, then taking a path which seemed to bisect a golf course until I arrived at the area of parkland where Beauchief Abbey is located.

The abbey is in a lovely setting next to a row of pretty cottages: what's left of the  building isn't very big now - it used to be far more extensive in earlier centuries though...I think it might currently be used as the local parish church.

Finally, I needed to walk for a few hundred yards to the nearest bus stop - there's a frequent service to the city centre from there.

Sheffield Railway Station To Fox House.

At the end of June I walked the Meanwood Valley Trail in Leeds with a friend who's from Leeds; so today it was time for me to reciprocate and show him what I consider to be the equivalent walk in Sheffield - from the railway station out to Fox House, via the Porter Valley. Unfortunately it doesn't have a name though as far as I know...of course it's a much nicer walk,  my friend even admitted that.

I had planned to walk through the old cemetery but got a bit confused with the roads; so we walked along Ecclesall Road until we reached the entrance to Endcliffe Park: from this point the walk really begins, with nice parkland, industrial heritage and then open fields...and finally, high moorland.

I was surprised at how quickly we reached Forge Dam Café; a lovely spot.

I was hoping to at least stay and have a cup of tea, but my friend was on a schedule: he needed to meet his wife at the Meadowhall shopping centre later. So, after stopping briefly to eat our sandwiches on a nearby seat we continued on.

Our next pause was at the toposcope at the head of Porter Clough. We could clearly identify the plumes from the six observable power stations in the Aire Valley and the Trent Valley...and the TV mast at Emley Moor. I estimate the visibility to have been over thirty miles; pretty good, but still a bit too hazy to see the Humber Bridge or Lincoln Cathedral, which are both included as landmarks. In the other direction, to the west; the only landmark identified is Chicago!

Beyond this point we entered the Peak District and were walking across open fields, quite muddy and boggy in places, and then across Houndkirk Moor...with a gentle descent down to Fox House.