Exploring The World Beyond My Front Door

Exploring the Sheffield Round Walk: Sheaf Valley to Beauchief and Meadowhead. I had walked the first two sections of the 14 mile Sheffield Round Walk on a day of glorious late summer weather, one weekend in August and had been captivated by the breadth of history covered by the route and also by the natural beauty of the landscape. Although the dark shade of the woods that contrasted starkly against the bright sunny sky proved a little too taxing for my modest photography skills, however since completing the first two sections, the desire to finish the whole route and walk sections three and four was a growing itch to which I finally succumbed one Sunday, towards the end of August. Returning to the Sheffield Round Walk. In the intervening time between the two walks I had splashed out on a new lens for my camera, replacing the kit zoom lens on my Olympus OM-D E-M10 with my first prime lens - a 25mm f1.8, the equivalent to a 50mm lens on a full frame camera which basically m...

Exploring the Sheffield Round Walk: Porter Clough and through the Limb Valley. On a warm and sunny August morning, I was finally revisiting the Sheffield Round Walk, a 14 mile sign-posted circular route that's broken up into four sections in the south-west of Sheffield. It's an excellent introduction to the city, covering urban green spaces and the open wilderness on the boundary of the Peak District. The route explores the Porter, Limb, Sheaf and Gleadless Valleys, each with their own distinct character and rich history. Earlier on in the morning, I had started the walk at the beginning of the first section at Endcliffe Park and had walked at an easy pace through the attractive parks along the Porter Brook before discovering Shepherd Wheel. I was slightly dismayed that I had taken so long to cover barely half of the first section, so I resolved to put my best foot forward and cover some ground. But first, a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. The friendly green acorn, m...

Exploring the Sheffield Round Walk: Endcliffe Park and along the Porter Valley.  The Sheffield Round Walk is a 14 mile circular walk made up of four sections in the south-west of the city. It's a fantastic walk that encompasses the very best of Sheffield, introducing the stunning countryside on our doorstep and contrasting it against the concrete and green spaces of the urban environment. If you're a local resident perhaps you've seen the route's waymarks with their distinctive acorn. The walk begins in the popular Endcliffe Park, following the Porter Valley out to the edges of the Peak District at Ringinglow. The route then turns back towards the south of the city along the Limb Valley, before emerging out of Ecclesall Wood onto Abbeydale Road South at Dore train station; that covers the first and second sections. The third and fourth sections resume from Dore station through Ladies Spring Wood, passing Beauchief Abbey before crossing Graves Park; Gleadless Vall...