Parkwood Springs is ‘like having the countryside on your doorstep’

“Early in the lockdown, people couldn't go to Meadowhall or wherever so they came here and thought it was pretty amazing,” said Neill Schofield from the Friends of Parkwood Springs.

“And they’re still coming back.

"People from all over the city are realising they don’t have to go to Hathersage or Eyam for a trip, they can enjoy what’s close to us as well.”

Visitors to the urban countryside of Parkwood Springs have boomed this year, say Neill and colleague Howard Bayley from the Friends of Wardsend Cemetery at the north of the site.

There are even reports of young folk from the riverside climbing the hill with their Kelham Island takeaways to admire the view.

At almost 150 hectares, the heathland, woodland, riverside and parkland stretching above the River Don from Herries Road to Rutland Road is half as big again as Graves Park.

In 2021, local friends groups and the city council hope Parkwood Springs will finally achieve its ‘Country Park in the City’ status when funding bids of several hundred thousand pounds go in to British Cycling and Sport England – and its growing popularity is no surprise given the outstanding views .

Some £200,000 is already lined up in funding from developers and public health to link pathways and tracks on the site and improve the welcome for visitors at access points around a hillside many still see as a former landfill dump and occasional ski village.

“Parkwood Springs is bigger than Graves Park, and needs to work for everybody, including visitors from outside the city,” says Councillor Bob Johnson, Hillsborough councillor and now council leader, a long time supporter of developing Parkwood Springs as an active travel route and destination for walkers, runners and cyclists from the Outdoor City and beyond.

He added: “I also want to see the continuation of the Upper Don Trail from Wardsend, but all of it needs to start to stitch together, and this bid is a major part of that.”

Sheffield Council woodlands officer Jon Dallow has been pushing Parkwood for years, and says the site’s mixture of natural wonders (like deer and birds of prey), the stunning countryside, the local heritage and supportive local groups are all part of its success.

“The parks and green spaces of Sheffield are the sport centres that never shut,” he said, “and places like Parkwood Springs have been a big part of that this year.”

Proposals taking shape include a 4km long ‘skyline route’ for walkers and cyclists traversing Parkwood from north to south, a landscaped track from Neepsend up to Shirecliiffe, the continuation of the Upper Don Trail from Hillsborough to Kelham Island, radical improvements of up to nine ‘trail heads’ or welcome points for visitors all round the site, and an improved network of paths and trails to link the whole hillside park together.

If the bid is successful, work could begin in the first half of next year to develop the wider site around the multi million pound development of a ski and sports centre by Extreme Destinations, who will submit their latest proposals early in 2021.

Former landfill operators Viridor are continuing landscaping work, and Friends hope they will gradually open up access to more of the site too.

Alongside existing mountain bike trails, there will be marked walking and running routes, and an official Parkwood parkrun may not be far away.

The need for a ‘brew and a loo’ along with the existing ‘view’ and ‘stuff to do’ should be fulfilled by the Extreme development, but in the short term there are plans for a temporary cafe and toilet near Cooks Wood Road, which could be moved to other ‘Trail Heads’ later.

“I can’t think of any city that has anything like this, with such a mix of activities for all interests and all ages,” said Howard Bayley, who hopes the new paths and trails will finally make an attractive link from Wardsend to the rest of Parkwood.

“It’s like having the countryside on your doorstep, and having that minutes from where so many people live will be a fantastic thing.”