Rivelin Valley

Saturday 19th October 2019

We had a lot of rain last Autumn, but there was one weekend when there was a break in the onslaught so I took the opportunity to catch a train to the beautiful city of Sheffield to do a walk in this most amazing of cities. I went to University in Sheffield and ever since I have had a deep affection for the place where some of my earliest walks either started or took place, however there is a valley that runs into the city that I had never walked through. After getting off the train in Sheffield I caught the Supertram through the city centre eventually getting off when it reached the end of the line at Malin Bridge. In looking for a route along the valley I had found a walk described on the walkingbritain.co.uk website and their directions warned me there would initially be “a certain amount of suburban walking in order to get up to the valley side”. I set off down the Rivelin Valley Road soon climbing through the steep and muddy woodland of Walkley Bank Wood. The directions were not very clear at this point, though I suspect I was supposed return to the busy main road. Instead I kept climbing to Walkley Bank Road and followed that slowly heading back down the hill to the valley bottom where a short distance away a path climbs steeply up beside St Michael’s Cemetery.

Once the gradient had eased I had good views across the valley, but I was also back on residential streets and I was still climbing as I headed towards Crookes where I once lived as a student. Before reaching Northfield Road I turned off along St Anthony Road taking a footpath off the street where it swings sharply back upon itself. The views were now extensive across the wooded valley to the houses built up on the far side as I passed the Crookes Quarry Allotments and then, according to the directions, I should have veered right down to Clough Fields Farm (now called Cloughfields Cat Hotel). Instead I veered left maintaining the contour and it wasn’t until I reached Marsh Lane that I realised my error. Rather than retrace my steps I turned right onto Back Lane where a delightful wooded lane led me down to Clough Fields and back onto the intended route. Crossing Back Lane I passed through Hagg Lane Allotments and this time correctly veered left up to Den Bank Lane.

There seems to be a line missing in the directions at this point as immediately after telling you to “bear left up to Den Bank Lane” it tells you to cross Hagg Lane, but with no direction on how to reach Hagg Lane. I suppose it should have been obvious, but I wandered up and down Den Bank Lane wondering what I should do until eventually I headed straight towards Hagg Lane and crossed it, as directed taking a track that climbs up to the Manchester Road. The directions recommended a diversion to the old Bell Hagg pub, now a private residence, but I didn’t think it was worth it, before continuing beside the main road to the Valleyside Garden Centre. I couldn’t resist a look around before heading off into the woods ascending by the side of an old quarry. With the tedious suburban walking now over, although I was still well inside the city of Sheffield, the scenery was amazing while passing along a footpath that was a delight to walk upon on top of a steep wooded escarpment above craggy cliff-faces and with stunning views ahead of me towards the Peak District.

The delights continued through Blackbrook Wood especially while crossing the stream and later in Fox Hagg Nature Reserve while crossing Allen Sike. Now I turned downhill on a path marked for the Rivelin Dams passing through beautiful woodland to reach the dam and across the other side back onto the Manchester Road. The grey start to the day had now cleared to reveal lovely sunshine that would continue for most of the afternoon as I headed back towards the city taking a narrow path through the horrendously muddy Rivelin Rough. Eventually the path widened and improved and I was able to enjoy the walk along the northern side of the valley below Rivelin Rocks and Wood Bank. On reaching a road I turned downhill to reach the valley bottom and onto a path that follows the River Rivelin all the way back into the city.

Now the wonders really started as I walked beside this river that in ages past was heavily industrialised with twenty watermills, but has now been wonderfully reclaimed by nature with hardly any sign of its past except for the dams and watercourses built to serve the mills. Early in my walk down the valley I came across a spectacular turn in the river where stepping stones provided me with a way across, but the recent rains had swollen the river so that some of the stones were submerged. After carefully making my way across I found that further travel was not possible except by wading across a weir, which I was easily able to do thanks to waterproof footwear. I later realised there is a path that goes around the difficulty, but that would have spoilt the fun.

The delights kept on coming as I made my way down the river and never wanting it to end, but inevitably as I came further into the city the urbanisation became more apparent with first the Rivelin Valley Road crossing my path and then slowly the city began to close in upon the river until eventually it all came to an end on Stannington Road. Near this point the River Rivelin merges with the River Loxley and the Malin Bridge tram station is a short distance away. This was an amazing walk in what must be the greatest city on earth. It is astonishing to see such fabulous natural scenery in a city with a population of more than half a million. The directions during the first half of the walk were confusing, but once out into the countryside the walk was fabulous. In the month since this walk Sheffield saw more rain than has ever been recorded and I hate to think what that did to the Rivelin Valley, but I was glad to get this opportunity to have another walk in the greatest city on earth.