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.
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| The friendly green acorn, marking the route of the Sheffield Round Walk. |
Leaving Shepherd Wheel behind me and crossing a road, I found myself enveloped in the green shade of a wooded section of the Porter Valley, between Hangingwater Road that I'd just crossed and Whiteley Wood Road, a little further ahead.
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| Looking back along the Porter Brook towards Hangingwater Road. |
The footpath ran alongside the Porter Brook for a little while; I had read that the river is home to brown trout and our only native crayfish but I couldn't see any activity in the rock strewn, shallow water. The woods were strangely quiet too, without any bird song, perhaps the traffic from the roads drowned out any sounds of wildlife. I crossed another road into more trees and followed the acorn signs onto a footpath on the left, instead of the crossing-stones over the river, that led invitingly to a path on the right.
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| The pleasant footpath on the other side of Whiteley Wood Road, towards Forge Dam. |
The footpath was broad and even with trees on either side, their branches almost meeting overhead and a thick tangle of lush green plants and brambles increased the pleasant feeling of being enveloped in foliage. Further on ahead I knew that Forge Dam provided refreshment facilities which included a café, toilets, playground for families and the dam itself, now a popular duck pond. It can be crowded in nice weather with pushchairs, excited children and energetic dogs all squeezed in together. However, this morning it wasn't too bad and after using the toilet facilities, the last ones for a good while, I looked for a quiet spot to sit and have a coffee from my trusty flask.
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| Forge Dam, an excellent spot for refreshment. |
I sat on a bench beside the dam in the warm sunshine, it was a popular spot with families feeding the ducks and older couples enjoying the weather. While I was munching a delicious flapjack, between sips of coffee, I reflected on what a contrast the quiet scene around me must be when compared to Forge Dam as was in the past, during it's heyday.
Thomas Boulsover (1705 - 1788) the inventor of a silver plating technique called Sheffield Plate, first used the site when he bought the land and from 1765 water wheels were used to power a forge and rolling mill; shortly after 1832 saws were manufactured at the site, while drop hammers were used to make wrought iron. After 1835 steam power supplemented the water wheels but operation at the site ceased in 1887. A showman used the dam as a boating lake between 1900 - 1920. The Corporation of Sheffield, as the the city council was called, bought the site in 1939 and the old worker's cottages were converted into the café.
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| A post and waymarks at Forge Dam. |
Refuelled and refreshed, I resumed the walk. Skirting the dam and following the acorn waymark, I checked my watch. I had been walking for two and a half hours and still had only covered perhaps a quarter of the planned distance. However, the sun was warm, I was feeling good and the prospect of a full day outside was enough to put a bounce in my step.
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| The footpath through the trees beyond Forge Dam. |
The feel of the Sheffield Round Walk started to change, the footpaths were no longer confined to green spaces squeezed by the urban sprawl of the city, now they threaded their way through open countryside. Even though the path beyond Forge Dam was tightly enveloped in green foliage, I couldn't help but feel the wide open space beyond; all that could be heard was the trickle of water and the soft buzz of the occasional insect. I carefully crossed a road where it narrowed over a stone bridge, the route headed out through a meadow full of tall plants that hummed and buzzed with insects of every description.
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| The meadow past the bridge on the road that leads to the Fulwood area of Sheffield. |
I was captivated by the multitude of busy insects covering the flowers and plants that grew in the meadow. There were a number of different plant species that looked similar, towering over the meadow, all with tall green stems that branched into umbrella shaped heads, that were in turn made up of tiny individual white flowers.
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| A harmless hoverfly displaying the mimicry that protects it from predators. |
I spent some time trying to capture the hustle and bustle of the insects on the tall plants. I was cautious because wasps, as well as hoverflies and bees, were settling all around me and because of the plants themselves. Cow parsley and hogweed both have a very similar form, the aforementioned tall stem and large head of small white flowers, however giant hogweed is very dangerous indeed and it's sap can cause severe skin inflammation and blindness if it comes into contact with the eyes. A very similar plant, that grows in similar conditions is hemlock, a deadly poison, used in Ancient Greece to executed condemned prisoners. Cow parsley, hogweed and hemlock are all members of the same family - Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae) which explains the similarities; other members of the family Apiaceae are carrots, coriander, celery, fennel and parsley! I find this fascinating and I hope to write something covering these plants in the future.
I reluctantly withdrew from the miniature world of the insects and continued on the walk. The weather was glorious and the countryside shone like a jewel. Trees and undergrowth grew along the course of the Porter Brook on the right, while on the left, over a stone wall, postcard perfect English countryside rose into rolling hills.
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| A stunning panorama of meadows, rolling hills, country lanes and woodland. |
When I first moved to Sheffield I would often cycle out to this area and explore the country lanes, testing my stamina against some of the ferocious hills. I remember one evening coming face to face with a snuffling badger out on it's early evening forage. I've not been so lucky to repeat a meeting since.
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| Quiet, sun dappled lanes leading to Porter Clough. |
The footpath followed the quiet lane, both running in the same direction as the tree covered Porter Brook. On either side, meadowland glowed in the sunshine. Hardly anything stirred in the warm, late morning heat and the only sounds were the tweets of birds, hidden in the dappled, cool shade.
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| A hazy view back along the Porter Valley towards the city centre. |
After a little while the route reached Porter Clough, a steep sided, thickly wooded gorge where the Porter Brook flows down from off the moorland of the Peak District. The route turns off the track at this point and delves in to the shade of the clough, however, I knew that if I were to follow the track round to the right and up a steep hill covered in loose stones, I would see a fine view all the way back to the city centre. The heat made following the track up the hillside a sweaty scramble but the view was worth the effort, if a little hazy. I retraced my steps back down and entered the Porter Clough.
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| The footpath through Porter Clough. |
The footpath followed the contours of the clough, rising gently with the Porter Brook stream on the left. As the route pushed on, the tree covered sides of the gorge became steadily steeper and the air held a pleasant cool, dampness.
The path continued up the clough and I arrived at wooden footbridge, where an acorn waymark pointed to a track on the left that double-backed on the route but up the opposite side of the clough, which would eventually lead to Fulwood Lane and Ringinglow, where section one of the Sheffield Round Walk ends.
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| A large and venerable tree, which I think may be a Beech. |
Eventually, the footpath weaved it's way out of Porter Clough and passed through a picnic area, then out onto the straight, tarmacked Fulwood Lane, which bordered the moors. On the left hand-side, between the trunks of large trees, an excellent view of Sheffield could be enjoyed. Despite the hazy atmosphere I could just about make out the city centre with the Town Hall clock-tower and the spire of the Cathedral.
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| A distant view of the city centre from between the trees on Fulwood Lane. |
I had now been walking for almost four hours and the battery on my camera was getting low so I pushed the pace a little and soon arrived at Ringinglow, a small collection of houses that must have been the last rest-stop for travellers before the wild and empty moors of the Peak District. Section two of the Sheffield Round Walk begins at the striking octagonal house, known as The Roundhouse, prominently situated at the road junction and opposite a pub that used be a 19th century coaching inn.
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| The old Grade II listed toll house and starting point of section two. |
This distinctly shaped house was built sometime around 1778 as a toll house, that is providing accommodation for a toll collector beside a toll gate. A toll road was a private highway, also called a turnpike, managed by a Trust that allowed use by the public for a small fee collected at gates; early in the 1700's these trusts were set up as a solution for the poorly maintained public roads, which were few and far between. By the 1830's over 1000 Turnpike Trusts managed between them a national road network of over 30,000 miles (48,000 km), they were gradually phased out from the 1870's. The route of the walk passed the old toll house before turning off the road at a stile, where I briefly paused and surveyed the landscape ahead.
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| Looking towards the Limb Valley from the stile on Houndkirk Road. |
The rolling meadow gradually became wetter and more water logged until in a small depression, a marshland habitat developed, filled with amazing pink, purple tinged flowers amongst the coarse marsh grasses. In my over excitement I incorrectly assumed they were a species of wild orchid, when in fact they were a foreign invader called himalayan balsam, first introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant in 1839 along with Japanese knotweed and our new friend, giant hogweed. Small world!
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| Himalayan Balsam, Impatiens glandulifera. |
Beyond the marshy ground, hidden away from the footpath and overgrown with plants, was the charming ruin of Copperas House, an 18th century lead smelting works.
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| Crickets buzzed in the long dry grass as I investigated the ruin. |
I continued on my way, once again following the acorn sign-posts along the Limb Brook and into the cool shade of the trees. My camera's battery indicator was now flashing an urgent red, which combined with a slightly footsore weariness, motivated me to push the pace a little more. This section of the walk through the Limb Valley is mostly wooded, with a steep hillside on the left while on the right, the Limb Brook can be heard somewhere below, lost amongst the trees and undergrowth.
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| Limb Valley woodland, a peaceful and serene section of the walk. |
On a bench I had a quick drink from my flask and the last flapjack, the wood around me was silent, not a thing seemed to stir. I savoured the peaceful atmosphere before hoisting on my rucksack and making my way onwards towards Whirlow and the final part of the day's walk through Ecclesall Woods.
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| These attractive signs are a new addition since I first walked this route. |
I have to confess that I was becoming more focused on finishing the final section of the walk, pushing myself to maintain the brisk pace along the deserted footpath. With startling suddenness, I emerged out of the woodland onto Hathersage Road, next to the long driveway of Whirlow Brook Hall. I spotted the waymark over the busy road and carefully crossed over to the wide open space of Whirlow playing fields, a nice contrast to the woodland of the last few miles.
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| I crossed the playing fields under a dazzlingly blue sky. |
Keeping to the left-hand perimeter of the playing fields, I walked until the trees of Ecclesall Wood rose in front of me, like a dark, green tide. This was it. The last stretch of the walk, through the woods and down to Abbeydale Road South, where section two of the Sheffield Round Walk ends.
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| Ecclesall Woods are criss-crossed with 15 km of footpaths. |
Covering an area of 350 acres or 1.4 square kilometres, Ecclesall Wood manages to squeeze in over 9 miles of footpaths! It's my intention to thoroughly investigate this popular woodland and I used this to justify my quick pass through it on this occasion. Hidden in the leafy depths are many features of historical interest, including evidence of prehistoric activity.
The traffic on Abbeydale Road South came as a shock after the peace and solitude of the wilderness covered on the day's walk; here I was, back in the hurly-burly of a modern city. Tired and looking forward to sliding off my boots, I reflected on the first two sections of the Round Walk, while I waited for a bus. Section three started just around the corner but that could wait for another day. Weary as I felt, I had to admit, the prospect of more adventures and discoveries was very exciting. As the bus pulled away, I found a seat and consulted the walking guide. I knew that soon, I'd be back to finish the Sheffield Round Walk.
