I’d like to begin with a cheeky pic from a sunnier walk in the Peak District. (above)
The outdoor city
Sheffield has long been known as the outdoor city. Be it because of its proximity to to the Peak District or because it has more trees per person than any other city in Britain, Sheffield is truly green and doesn’t feel nearly as large as it is. It is also the only city to have a national park within its boundaries and it is this park I want to talk about today.
Moving from my relatively quite village in South Derbyshire to living in the city centre was always going to be a step change for me and naturally I missed having the countryside on my doorstep. But not too long into my first year of university I realised that actually, I did.
Outdoor activities
My passion lies with road cycling and like many others I try to make the most of what really is some of the best cycling in the UK. The same applies for walking, mountaineering, climbing and mountain biking. For the small sum of £3 on the bus I can get right in to the heart of the High Peaks in less than an hour.
On my walk down from Park Hill to uni I can actually see the Peak District in the distance and while we may moan about the hills, they do offer great views and negate the need for a gym membership.
The Peaks and societies
I study Geography and I’m president of the Geography Society (cheeky plug) so naturally I’m pretty hyped about being so close to the Peaks. It means loads of field trips that aren’t hours away on the coach and also the opportunity to run some cool events with the society.
I recently organised a collaborative social walking in the Peak District with the Nursing Society. While initially it may seem like an odd combination of societies it did make the risk assessment much easier having so many first aiders. And of course us geographers can (mostly) read a map so we weren’t liable to get lost.
Pubs
Of course it would have been quite rude not to have visited a couple of pubs at the end and we enjoyed a few well earned pints in the comfort and cosiness of a proper country pub. I really wouldn’t be fitting to talk about the Peak District without mentioning it’s pubs. If you’re a fan of real ale there’s always a great choice of local breweries and during winter especially it’s nice to grab a seat open fire and chat rubbish to your mates all evening.
My personal recommendations would be the Ladybower Inn, The Norfolk Arms and The Castle of Castleton. You will not be disappointed.
So overall…
So if you’re like me and you can’t be bothered travelling for hours but you’re still a fan of the outdoors, Sheffield suits beautifully. Just don’t forget to do your degree between visits to the Peak District.
