The Sheffield Round Walk is a 15-mile circular walk that wanders and meanders through parks, woodland, along streams and rivers from the beating heart of Sheffield’s independent businesses out to the cusp of the Peak District. While the full 15-mile loop won’t be for everyone, the well-signposted route can be split into much more manageable sections, and in this article, we’ll look at the first section of that route. Endcliffe Park through the Porter Valley and up to the Norfolk Arms pub on Ringinglow road.
Some sections of this walk are very popular and were voted highly in the best Sheffield walks category in our end of year awards. That can mean that things will be busy in certain areas. We’ll mention all that in the route though.
Distance: Roughly 4 miles / 6.5 km
Difficulty: Leisurely, but some may struggle on the incline
Wildlife: None
Terrain: Easy woodland trails from Endcliffe Park to Forge Dam leading to an ongoing incline through Porter Clough.
Traffic: The walk is mostly away from the road, but you will have a number of roads to cross and the end of the walk does walk along the side of a road.
Follow route on OS Maps App: Endcliffe Park to Norfolk Arms
Endcliffe Park to Norfolk Arms Follow Along
The walk begins at the Hunters Bar roundabout entrance to Endcliffe Park, parking nearby is minimal, however further around the park on Rustlings Road there is free parking when available. You can make your way through the park in any direction you wish as long as you’re heading in the general direction of the far side.
We opted to turn right at the Queen Victoria statue, as the back route around the park is better for dogs off the lead. It’s more a woodland trail, and the main park can be very busy with families.
Queen Victoria Statue Endcliffe Park Mi Amigo Memorial in Endcliffe Park
As you follow the path along, you can veer off once again to the right to ensure you head behind the play area on the other side of the river. Along this path you’ll soon see the ‘Mi Amigo’ memorial. This memorial was put in place to mark the crash of a World World II air fortress. The entire crew perished in the crash but the pilot was given a posthumous distinguished flying cross for managing to miss the nearby play area and save prevent harming many civilians. Take time to have a look at the memorial and read the story before continuing on.
As you continue along the path you’ll pass a waterfall, walk along the side of the Endcliffe Park pond and then follow the river to the end of the park. At the end of the park you’ll find a little green sign with an acorn on it that reads ‘Sheffield Round Walk’, take note as these are the signs you’ll be looking out for the rest of the way.
Cross at the zebra crossing and head into Whiteley Woods and the start of the Whiteley Woods trail.
Sheffield Round Walk Sign Whiteley Woods Entrance
Whiteley Woods can be very busy with families, runners, cyclists and dog walkers, so we’d only recommend having your dog off of the lead if well behaved with good recall. The path through this first section is easy to follow, there are parts where you can veer off onto the other side of the river if the main path is too busy. Such as the path at Shepherd Wheel.
Shepherd Wheel is a former water-powered grinding workshop from around the 1500s and a working museum today, a salute to some of Sheffield’s industrial past.
The short walk through Whiteley Woods will eventually bring you to a road. You’ll notice a Sheffield Round Walk sign on the other side of the road and a road sign saying ‘Hangingwater Road’ cross over here and continue to follow the path.
The path through this section is quite short, but easy to follow and will once again open out to a road that you will need to cross.
This section of the trail has a number of directions that you can go. The main path in, over some stepping stones, or a walk around if you don’t want to get your feet wet.
The three paths all meander through the woodland and are split down the middle by Porter Brook. You can’t get lost as all three paths lead to where you need to be, which is at the far end of this section when you arrived at Forge Dam.
Forge Dam Forge Dam Cafe
You’ll notice this area gets busy again. Forge Dam has a play area so is popular with families year round. Forge Dam cafe is a great place to stop for a pit stop if you want a drink or a snack. This is the last opportunity to grab a drink before the pub at the end of the walk.
Follow the slope up past the cafe and follow the path around the pond. From here on out you should start to notice that the trail gets a little quieter, which is perfect for off-lead time.
As you cross a small bridge, you’ll follow the path around and eventually come to another road to cross. From here you’ll cross the road to Porter Clough.
As you follow the path around the bend in the photo, you’ll notice that the path splits into foot path and bridleway. Follow the footpath, you’ll see a Sheffield Round Walk sign there as well. Continue to follow the path along and enjoy the scenery. We did the walk during winter but during spring and summer months there’s lush green woodland to enjoy. That also makes this walk perfect for warm days, because much of it is under shelter.
You’ll reach a quiet road that needs to be crossed at the end of this section. You can follow the road, or head through the little gap in the wall opposite to walk along a path. This path hugs the side of the field and will eventually cross a little bridge back over Porter Brook. The path then follows the brook up to the next road crossing.
This section is where the trail starts to go uphill. Cross the road into the next section of Porter Clough and follow the obvious pathway into the woodland. As the path steepens it’s worth the effort to keep going as the woodland section of Porter Clough can be a real stunner in any season.
Toward the top end of the route, you’ll cross two bridges. After the second bridge, you’ll see that the Sheffield Round Walk sign points off left. (The other direction leads you up some steps where there is a great view over Sheffield. )
Take the left hand route and follow the steps up. Once you reach the top, you’ll be happy to know that you’ve finished the hill section. Here you’ll find a picnic area, which is perfect if you’ve brought your own packed lunch and a flask. Take a pit stop and refuel.
For those that haven’t brought a packed lunch, then from here we head out of the car park and turn left. Follow the road along and on your left you’ll notice great views back over Sheffield, oh…and some Alpacas! The road runs alongside Mayfield Alpaca Farm, they have a cafe that you can visit for a drink if you didn’t bring your own.
Mayfield Alpaca Park View of Sheffield
Further along the road just before the junction, you’ll arrive at Ringinglow Toy Cottage, which is a pretty little cottage in a former toy shop. You can book a stay in the Toy Cottage over at Holiday Cottages (unfortunately it isn’t dog friendly).
At the end of the road turn left and you’ve reached the end of this route at the Norfolk Arms pub. During non-pandemic times you can expect a fabulous welcome at the Norfolk Arms and have a well-earned post-walk pint and some pub food in this dog friendly pub.
To get back to Endcliffe Park you can hop on the bus outside the Norfolk Arms pub, or you can continue your walk and head straight down Ringinglow road until you reach Ecclesall Road South. Turn left here and follow the road back down Ecclesall Road to Endcliffe Park.
Fancy continuing your walk?
If you feel like continuing your walk, Section 2 of the Round Walk starts here and heads down through Limb Valley to Whirlow Hall and down through Ecclesall Woods, eventually coming out to Abbeydale Road.
This walk forms part of our Sheffield walks series