IMAGINE a better way of travelling around our cities. Carbon-free commuting that gets us on the move without killing the planet. Imagine the riverside ride, the walk by the water, the run through the trees free from the tyranny of traffic and the pain of pollution.
Imagine goodbye to gridlock. Imagine a state-of-the art active travel route. A beautiful ‘greenway’ taking you from the heart of Sheffield city centre to the heart of the Peak District.
Spectacular opportunities for climbing, kayaking, angling, horse riding – all accessible off-road from our local communities. For everybody, irrespective of age, fitness or mobility.
No need to imagine. We’ve imagined it for you, and now we’re making it happen. Right here on your doorstep along Sheffield’s beautiful River Don.
So, what is the Upper Don Trail?
The Upper Don Trail will link Sheffield city centre to the Peak District National Park. It will connect thousands of homes to a green active travel network and a fantastic array of Outdoor City activities.
It has the potential to be the envy of the UK. A riverside route where we can all walk, run, ride for fun, work or school, and relax in safety and peace.
The Trail starts at the site of Sheffield’s historic castle and threads its way through the buzzing, up-and-coming Kelham Island neighbourhood. Then it forges a route along a quiet and beautiful riverside that’s begging to be explored after too many years of neglect.
Ahead lie the planned Parkwood Springs leisure park and the weirs that shaped our water-powered industries. The tranquil Wardsend Cemetery where steel barons lie buried alongside local football heroes.
A little further are the beautiful banks of Beeley Wood, white water canoeing in the heart of Oughtibridge. The birthplace of gritstone rock climbing at Wharncliffe Crags. Legendary mountain bike trails in Wharncliffe Woods.
Further along, the Little Don Link takes you through Fox Valley to Stocksbridge, Langsett and the famous Cut Gate trail through the Peak District wilds.
Or the hardened adventurers can stick to the main valley, connect to the Trans Pennine Trail and take it all the way over the hill to Manchester. We’re part of the National Cycle Network and we have connections!
Our dream goes much further than simply laying down the trail. We’ve set ourselves the ambitious goal of restoring the heritage and wildlife habitat of a beautiful river that was once one of Europe’s dirtiest .
What happens next?
Sheffield is fast forging an international reputation as The Outdoor City. Our plan is to help take the outdoors to the very heart of the city, just a hop and a skip from our doorsteps.
If you’ve read this far, we’d like to say a great big ‘Thank You’ for your interest. Thanks for dropping by our website. We’re still building it, so please be patient with us as we add to our story.
Please do revisit as the Trail progresses. We’d like to take you with you on every step of our exciting journey!
If we’ve fired you up with inspiration, we’d love you to become part of the team. Click on the ‘Get Involved’ link and we’ll tell you how you can stuck in. The more the merrier. The Upper Don Trail is for everybody!
And if you’ve not seen it yet, please do take a look at our introductory video tour, shot and produced by local videographer Joey O’Connell. Joey works for Hove and Co Photography, based at the Yellow Arch Studios in Neepsend. You can see our video on our new Facebook page.