City Guide to Sheffield, England from The Opportunistic Travelers
We realize Sheffield may not be on your list of top destinations. We spent a couple weeks just to the north of Sheffield and managed to see a fair bit of the city. Yes, it's gritty. Yes, it's a city that's been through transition. But it's not without its charm and culture. We enjoyed our time here and have put together this guide of what we did should you find yourself here with some time to pass.
Sheffield, England In Pictures
While in Sheffield, Sheila took 177 photos of the town and a few nearby cities. Below is a sampling of some of those from the area. The full set is on Flickr.
Sheffield gets an undeserved rap for bad architecture. it's a matter of perspective, really.
It's hard to think of England as a heavily forested place. But when you get outside of the big cities or heavily farmed areas, it's old nature comes on strong.
Farming is a huge part of the economy and culture of this region. Even in decay, one can find beauty.
It's pretty clear that museums aren't Evo's favorite thing. Still, even he can find some elements to appreciate.
It's not as old as it looks. Just a creative filter, making a modern street in Sheffield look like something from the past. Take a little color away, and ...
You know... because they need more water, this time coming from below rather than above.
The obligatory Minster church, this time in Doncaster, a few km east of Sheffield.
I couldn't pass up this shot of my good friend and excellent photographer Bruce Press while we were at Doncaster Minster.
These flowers were lovely, but their beauty pales in comparison to our friend Allie in the background.
Not your typical historical landmark. But if you're into obscure history and looking for an iconic stream setting, this is your place!
Abandoned for years, this building in southern Sheffield is finding new live and a community of uses. Including craft beer!
Plenty of rain means plenty of blooming flowers in early spring. Yes, even in Sheffield.
Massive instruments of industry serve a new purpose, as architectural features of a re-imagined city.
Places To Visit In Sheffield, England
Free museums area good way to while away the hours of a rainy day, and the Millennium Gallery is a good one. When we were there, three exhibitions were open
Before Sheffield was a steel town, it was a knife-sharpening town. No, not kidding. The power of water was typically used to mill grains, but here, it turns a series of belts that turn grinding wheels of different sizes.
There's still a working cinema, restaurant that serves up some tasty quick dishes, a full bar that will make beer nerds quite happy, a room for ping pong (and yes, probably beer pong), and a room set aside for performances. Wow!
Audio Expeditions For Sheffield, England
We've done a good job of not playing the "Engrish is funny" game while on the road. But that doesn't count if the words are actually in English, does it?
During our walk about the Earth, we've encountered a fair number of street musicians. And since we've always got an audio recorder on us... we recorded some of them. This week, it's a musical interlude on our show. Enjoy the sounds of a few street musicians we've met all across Europe!
One Minute Memories of Sheffield, England
It's hard to believe, but I've already released 50 One Minute Memories videos on YouTube. Short and beautiful, they tell a visual and aural story about a single moment of our travels, and they do it without spoken word.
This one is from our trip to Sheffield, England. It's a shot back up the road we just walked down on our way to More Hall Reservoir.
Shepherd Wheel is small, water-powered grinding workshop. This workshop was used to sharpen knives.
On our way to More Hall Reservoir, we saw this beautiful lane and decided it would be a perfect spot for a One Minute Memories video.
There haven't been many days that it hasn't rained on us since arriving in England.
There's not much to do for fun in the humble burg of Wharncliffe Side other than explore the outdoor, a tenuous activity in early spring. One clear (ish) day, we braved the mud and took a short hike up to More Hall Reservoir.
Food Choices In Sheffield, England
Markmaduke's makes pretty typical hipster bar coffee -- light roast. Not our favorite, but it will appeal to most. What's really good is the breakfast choices.
Getting good coffee wasn't easy in Sheffield. But we found one place in Stocksbridge, a town about 10 miles north towards Manchester. Sara's is really a flower shop, but she's put in a coffee bar and makes a good cuppa.
It's not Constantinople, but Istanbul Mezze Grill doesn't need to be. Take away on one side and sit-down on the other, it's a great place for Turkish food.
Hui Wei is an unassuming place from the outside. On the inside, it's a bit too 1980s for anyone's taste. But ignore that. Because the food is outstanding!
The jokes for The Blue Ball pretty much write themselves. Particularly when you consider they have both Stones and Blue Ball Bitter on tap. Yeah.
Bars & Pubs In Sheffield, England
Oh, come on. Like there's any chance were not going to visit and drink from The Cock Inn. Just who do you think we are!
This pub is adjacent to the Cathedral in the middle of town. Obviously, right? Well... the interior has a whole "death/vampire" theme to it. Skulls, ravens and roses above the bar. A coffin in the corner. Yeah. Weird.
I wasn't too excited about visiting a pub inside the train station. It seemed a little kitchy to me. Boy, was I wrong! The Sheffield Tap is huge, with it's own brewing room, associations with plenty of great English breweries, and a huge select on of craft beers in bottles.
As lively as it is tasty, the Rutland Arms is a popular place, with a full kitchen and wide selection of craft beer and Real Ale, complete with a knowledgable staff.
No pub is an island. Unless it's the Shakespeare Pub in Sheffield. Then it's almost literally an island, with not a lot of other buildings around it. Yeah, it's a little scary from the outside.
The Wharncliffe Arms a pub. And that's about it. It's quite small, and so is the beer selection. Food? Nope. Just crisps.
BrewDog Sheffield's menu is a little smaller than the one we visited in Manchester, but every bit as good. The beer selection is pretty amazing (of course) including a great guest beer selection and a huge collection of bottles.
It's a little grey and bleak in England, particularly in the winter. One way to beat that is to hang out at The Winter Garden, right in the middle of Sheffield.