Ecclesall Woods is the largest ancient woodland in South Yorkshire and is actually split into 3 sections, all divided by roads. This walk takes in the largest of the woods. The woods have a long history in the area with human involvement in the woods being traced back thousands of years.
Ecclesall Woods is a popular dog walking spot so can get busy with other dogs and their families. If your dog is friendly and well behaved, they’ll be able to enjoy plenty of off-lead play in this woodland that offers great shade for hot days and an ever changing beautiful landscape from season to season.
Ecclesall Woods Walk at a Glance
Distance: Roughly 2 miles / 3.1 km
Duration: Under 1 hour
Difficulty: Leisurely
Wildlife: Squirrels and Birds
Terrain: Well worn woodland trails
Traffic: This particular walk crosses no roads, but if you wish to extend this walk you may cross a road.
Follow the route via Outdoor Active here: Ecclesall Woods Trail
Follow Along Walk
This particular walk around Ecclesall Woods starts at the Woodland Discovery Centre just off Abbey Lane. There is ample on-street parking and a car park at the centre itself.
Starting Point: Woodland Discovery Centre (S11 9NW)
Walk along the Woodland Discovery Centre driveway from Abbey Lane (unless you’re parking in the car park). As you do so, on your left you’ll notice an outdoor woodland workshop where the centre runs courses. Moving further along the driveway you’ll notice the fantastic wooden buildings of the Discover Centre and the Woodland Coffee Stop (which makes for a perfect spot for a post-walk refreshment).
Continue along the path toward the wood, be sure to check out the signs for a map of the whole wooded area, along with information on what birdlife you might be able to spot in the woods. As you walk through the gate, take note that this is the only bin for dog waste on this route, so you’ll need to carry your dogs poo bag to this point.
Turn left after the gate and take the trail that is going down hill.
You’ll notice instantly that the paths around Ecclesall Woods are purpose-built and nice and wide, what that does mean is that the woods can be popular with mountain bikers, runners, and plenty of walkers. So only let your dog off the lead if they’re friendly and have good recall.
The path curls around and joins another path, follow this left and start to head down through the woods. You’ll notice plenty of paths around the wood, so it’s worth coming back and choosing your own trail when you can.
The path follows a near straight line down through the woods. Eventually, you will come to a small wooden bridge over a tiny stream which is a crossroads in the trail. At this point, we’ll be turning right and continuing into the woods.
Turn right here Follow the path up around the bend
The path crosses another small wooden bridge before curling around the corner. You’ll notice a rather impressive big dead tree on your left (at least at the time of writing). As you reach another crossroads in the path, follow the path around to the left.
Follow the path left
The path widens and you’ll start to get a feel for the fantastic surroundings of Ecclesall Woods. If you’re here in the spring you’ll notice bluebells around this area, if you’re there in summer or autumn then you’ll be greeted by lush greens or vibrant orange colours. Be sure to stop and have a photo with the huge felled tree. Our Lab loves jumping up onto it.
Head straight along until you reach a split in the path
As you continue along the path you’ll notice the path starts to split into what almost looks a bit like a roundabout. When you reach this point you need to veer left and head straight across the path.
Veer left at the split in the path Head straight across
Follow the path down through the trees and you’ll come to a stone bridge crossing the Limb Brook. Here’s an interesting fact for you, Limb Brook used to be the border between Northumbria and Mercia in the dark ages, and more recently was the border between Derbyshire and Yorkshire until the villages of Dore and Totley were absorbed into Sheffield in the 1930s.
If you’ve got a dog that loves a dip in a stream, this next section of the walk will likely be their favourite. Cross the bridge and continue to the end of the trail.
At the end of the path, turn right and continue to follow the trail. If you’ve done our Limb Valley to Ecclesall Woods walk, you’ll remember this trail as part of that but coming the other way. This section of the trail walks alongside the brook, meaning your dog has plenty of opportunities to dip in and out.
Follow the path along until you eventually cross a small bridge. From this point you need to follow the path left as it starts to incline.
Follow the trail up the hill until you reach a gate/fence. We aren’t going through this gate, instead turn right and continue along the path this way.
Walk straight along until you reach the gate Turn right before the gate and continue
From this point, the path gets a little more rugged with tree roots and rocks to contend with, but it’s still very easy to follow. One thing you may notice on an Ecclesall Woods walk is lots of branches stacked against trees. These makeshift woodland shelters are usually put together by the classes and courses run by the discovery centre. Here’s an example, modeled by our Eddie.
Follow the stone lined path, the woods opens up a little more at this point and you’ll get great views back into the woods.
As you continue along the path, you’ll spot a public footpath signpost. At this point, we’re turning right and heading toward the wooden bridge that crosses back over Limb Brook.
Turn right at the sign Head toward the bridge
The area at this bridge is our dog’s favourite, he loves splashing around in the stream and going under the bridge. It’s also a great spot to cool down or clean them off if needed.
When you’re ready, follow the path to the left and head up the steps.
As you reach the top of the steps, you have two options. Continue straight, or take the path to the left through the gate. It really doesn’t matter which, as they’ll both end up at the same point.
We opted for the path to the left and through what is known as Donkey Field which is a recently developed meadow.
Follow the path down through the field and through the gate at the end. This is where you’d meet back up with the other path if you chose to take it.
Turn left and continue to follow the trail. To the left of the path, you’ll notice some rather impressively sized houses. Along the path, you’ll likely spot some woven branches making a handmade lining for the path.
Look out for the fallen tree up ahead, we’re turning left there
Follow the path along until you eventually come to a tree stump on your left with some more signposts. If to your left you spot a rather large house, this is the point where we turn left. As you do you’ll come to some steps.
Follow the steps down and back up the path at the other side. At the top of the path, veer off to the right (you’ll spot signs for the discovery centre) and as you do so, the path will wind back around to the gate where this walk started.
Veer right at the top of the path
Head back out and grab yourself a drink at the very dog friendly Woodland Coffee Stop.
We hope you enjoyed the walk! This walk covers just a section of Ecclesall Woods, and now that you’ve been around the biggest section of it, you know how easy it is to navigate your way around. It’s well worth coming back and extending your walk to the other sections of the wood as well.
If you’re looking for a pub or a Sunday lunch to end your walk, as you leave the Discovery Centre, head up Abbey Lane and turn right. Further up this road, you’ll come to the Rising Sun pub. This is a dog friendly pub that serves up a great Sunday roast.
Looking for more local walks? Head to our Sheffield walks section