FAMILY FRIENDLY ROUTES

This 10km route showcases some of the beautiful countryside of the Peak District along a section of the Trans Pennine Trail, the national coast to coast route which takes in a lot of South Yorkshire’s highlights. You can follow its signs as you go, and if you want a longer ride you can double the distance by riding it as a round trip. The Penistone to Dunford Bridge route has a mixture of newly sealed surface, asphalt and a few short sections where the trail is unsealed but packed. 

The Trans Pennine Trail leaves Penistone station without even touching a road, and this former railway route ensures that you’ll be traffic-free for almost your entire ride, crossing roads via a series of bridges. The trail crosses a quiet road at Shore Hall Lane before reaching Bullhouse Bridge after 4km. The bridge is currently closed for repairs. There is a diversion in place which is clearly signed but do take care here as this is a busy A-road with no signalised crossing. For those wanting to avoid the road crossing, there is a picnic area you can enjoy before turning back to Penistone.  

For those continuing on, the route takes you out into the wide-open spaces of the Peak District, you’ll come across Wogden Foot Nature Reserve, home to curlews, skylarks and meadow pipits, and all manner of carvings and sculptures lining the path. The Magic Wood Café, open six days a week (closed Mondays), is a great place to break your journey. The trail is adorned with sculptures and features to encourage wildlife and habitat restoration, do take time to look around! The final section on to Dunford Bridge is slightly up hill as you reach the picnic area.  From there you can retrace to route back to Penistone. 

This easy route takes you from the centre of Barnsley to the beautiful surroundings of the Dearne Valley Country Park, from where you can extend your ride by joining the Trans Pennine Trail towards Leeds, or along the Dearne Valley towards Wombwell and Manvers Lake. There’s also plenty to discover in the park itself, including a skate park and all manner of wildlife. 

Leaving Barnsley Interchange via the new Market Gate Bridge, you’ll need to make a right turn off Schwäbisch Gmünd Way, which takes you via quiet streets to the shared-use path that will lead you down Harborough Hill Road and via a series of light-controlled crossings onto the traffic-free path that takes you into the leafy haven of the Dearne Valley Country Park. Do take care on the exit from Barnsley station as the roads in this area are busy. 

The path is paved throughout, and should be accessible for most users. There is a short, steep downhill at the 1.54km mark. 

This traffic-free path joins the villages of Thurcroft and Dinnington, and was once part of a freight railway line that joined the collieries in the area. 

Today it’s a scenic and undemanding trail, designed to be welcoming to all. The whole route is paved, so is suitable for cyclists and wheelchair users. There are benches at regular intervals for those who might be in need of a rest or a picnic. As you walk, ride or wheel along its 3km length, you’ll be shaded by mature woodland and will hear birds singing from the surrounding fields.  

This is a popular path with local families and dog walkers, so you can expect plenty of friendly encounters as you go. There are no barriers along the way, making it accessible to almost all users. The route is signposted at both ends, and there are no junctions, making wayfinding very easy.

Stretching from Sheffield city centre to the Meadowhall shopping centre, the Five Weirs Walk gives you a chance to get up close with the River Don’s industrial past, and to see the surprising ways in which the city has evolved in recent years. 

Once upon a time the Don Valley would have rung with the sound of forge hammers, and its waters ran yellow with iron oxide from the surrounding coal mines. Nowadays, you’re very likely to see herons and kingfishers, and the number of people fishing along its banks suggests that the Don is back on its way to full health. 

The trail starts close to Sheffield train station (accessible via the Grey to Green corridor), and finishes near the Meadowhall Interchange, giving you plenty of options for onward travel. It’s largely flat, paved throughout and barrier-free, which means some sections are suitable for wheelchair users. 

There is currently a diversion in place to avoid a section of path that is under repair. The diversion is signposted from Attercliffe Road, where you can use the controlled crossing to join the shared use path before turning into Washford Road. The diversion on Washford Road, Faraday Road and onto East Coast Road is approximately 0.5km with no provision for cyclists. The route uses side roads with some heavy industry, as such there can be large vehicles moving on this road. Proceed with caution, you may need to walk your bike for part of this route whilst this diversion is in place.

At East Coast Road you will rejoin the traffic free route. Note: Caution should also be taken on crossings at Newhall Road, Jansson Street (controlled crossing) and Weedon Road.