Hatshe two

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I walked the route in early June, after a spell of mostly dry weather. It took a bit over 4 hours if you exclude the off-piste excursions. In terms of time, the Limb Valley was the halfway mark. Progress is quicker from then on.

The start is a climb out of the Hope Valley then up to Carl Wark and Higger Tor that my legs certainly felt later on. Then it's down and up to Burbage Moor. Once across the top, it's mostly downhill and then along the flat as you follow the River Sheaf into the city. The terrain includes village and city walking, woods and open moors. Be warned, the hilltops can get very windy even in Summer although I was working hard enough to walk in a t-shirt (with a windproof and hat in my pack of course).

You will have to negotiate steps, stiles and gates. The ground includes broken road, dirt tracks and in places is very stony. The weather was mostly dry in preceding days and I didn't have to wade through any mud.

A map and compass & A-Z or GPS/streetview is needed at times. Tracks are not too hard to find but criss-cross others.

On leaving Hathersage village, North of the main road to Sheffield, in the first wood, when in doubt stick to tracks on the downhill (South) side of the wood, always heading East. When leaving the woods, follow the wall on the left until you go through someone's electric garden gate (its where the public path goes).
Later on, after going over the stone arch bridge below Carl Wark, stick on the Eastward path, not the larger, main path. At the top of the ridge, pass left (North) of the distinctive, cloven rock, following the cairns East. Alternatively, see Tim Ryan's review if visibility is poor.
When leaving the Limb Valley, the path continues next to the bus stop on the opposite side of the road. When you pass through this field into Ecclesall Woods, there will be signs for the public bridleway and path to Abbey Lane. From there, you're following the river path (and railway) of the "Sheaf Walk". You'll occasionally see white on black signs to Granville Square - these are your friends. You can follow them all the way to the city centre.

After leaving Hathersage, there aren't any places to stop for refreshments until you get to Millhouses park where there is a kiosk next to the boating pond. I couldn't say if it's open after 1700 or outside the summer months. Beyond the park, you'll pass a massive Tesco with a café or if you turn right over the bridge after leaving the park, there's also a Sainsbury with a café and toilets (I didn't see toilets in the Tesco). The only other stop-off without leaving the route is the Hardy Pick pub where Little London Road meets Broadfield Way.

There are a few things worth a look at if you have the time. In Hathersage there is the grave of Little John, Robin Hood's friend, in the Church yard, and various places north of the village are of interest to Jane Eyre fans, such as Brookefield Manor, North Lees Hall and Moorseats.
Up on top, the path passes between the Iron Age forts of Cark Wark and Higger Tor.
As you reach the road when exiting the Limb Valley, it's well worth taking 10 minutes to look around Whinfell Quarry Garden which is almost immediately left of the valley exit. It's a riot of flowers as well as 2 American Redwood trees - one of Sheffield's hidden treasures.
If you need an excuse for a sit-down, there are the paddle boats in Millhouses park.

On the moor after the forts, there were cattle roaming free but they are easily spotted and avoided, and didn't seem concerned about me passing nearby. The route as marked could do with being a bit better plotted. There is a section as you leave the Tesco by the road where the route goes into a tiny gap in the bushes. I thrashed about in the bushes here and only found a boarded up gate and wire fence. It's not passable. Instead, keep going up the road from the Tesco and rejoin the route at the top of Troutback Road about 150m further on. Another obstruction is a fence blocking the footbridge across the river on Broadfield Road, just before Clyde Road. There were no signs and its hard to say if its a temporary measure or not. I would guess so. You can go down Clyde Road but a better route is my old walk to work which is a bit nicer. This was not to turn off Little London Road at Broadfield but to carry on down Little London Road until it goes under the bridge and rather than passing under, carry on down the path. It'll rejoin the route at Clyde Road.

An excellent route. I am adding my suggestion for the crossing of Burbage Moor, which could be difficult in poor visibility. The photo included shows a possible way along tracks, between the footbridge at SK264 814 and spot height 404 at SK277 818. A very enjoyable route between the city centre and the Peak District town of Hathersage. I did walk the section from SK 338 836 to SK 354 857 as shown in the photo. Part of the route described in Hatshe2 along the Sheaf valley is not possible to walk. Another part now has a cycle lane which makes it unnecessary to walk along the main road. I have put this short section in as an option. It was how I walked it, and it worked fine for me. It is an option.

A really pleasant walk from Sheffield to Hathersage encompassing a mixture of the industrial history of Sheffield along the River Sheaf, through to woodland walking through Ecclesall Woods and the Limb Valley as you leave the city, followed by open moorland walking across to Hathersage.

There is one area across the moors above Hathersage where the paths can be unclear and in poor weather conditions may require the use of map and compass to determine the correct route. This area can also be very boggy underfoot.

There is also a small section of the path along the River Sheaf where the marked path can no longer be followed because of a new development - but it is straightforward to divert for a 100 metre section along the main road.

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