Aahhh Sheffield, my lovely city. Some say it’s not as exciting as northern neighbours, such as Manchester and Leeds over yonder hills. But one thing’s for sure, we’ve got lots of green space going on. Gemma Allen gives you the low down on some of the best bits of green in Sheff and what to expect if you fancy spending some time in the great, green outdoors.

According to wikipedia.org, 61% of Sheffield is a green space. There are said to be 170 woodlands, 78 public parks, and 10 public gardens, which makes Sheffield the greenest city in Europe. Sheffield is also said to have more trees per person than any other European city. With an estimated total of over two million standing tall, that’s a lot of bark to bark about! Parks and young people go together like the sun and an ice cream on a Saturday afternoon, so here at Cube we thought we’d fill you in on some of the best local green for you and your mates to explore!


Endcliffe Park,
Hunters Bar
Endcliffe is one of the most popular parks for festivals in Sheffield. There’s plenty of grass, woods, a lovely little café and a river running through it - great for little one’s too with a great playground and funfair in the summer. It’s the place where our parents used to take us to feed the ducks… well my parents did. Then I used to go and sit in the café with a lollipop when I was too tired to play any more. These days we’re more likely to be cycling about with mates or grabbing an ice cream before getting back to our games of football or rounders. Endcliffe Park, being 75.6 hectares, is HUGE, and a great place to hang out or get active in the sun.

Tip: Bring a Frisbee to play with.


Peace Gardens,
City centre
So technically it’s not a park…but the City Council has it down as a city park…so it counts! The Peace Gardens has been a much loved heart of the city hub since it was built in the 1930s. It under went a revamp in 1998 and the new design was then critisised by locals for not having much green space and more emphasis on water features. Running through the fountain has since become the most popular pastime for fun in the city centre and folk of all ages can often be seen picnicing on the grass and paddling in the small ‘rivers’ that make up the design. This is a great chill and meet up spot in the heart of our hectic city with plenty of pigeons to feed and people to watch.

Tip: Don’t forget towels and spare clothes if you’re planning to do a fountain run!
Botanical Gardens,
Ecclesall Road
This is a lovely place to go to just sit on the grass and chill out. The well kept mini gardens and colourful charming plants and flowers keep the Botanicals looking pretty all year round. It’s got a bit of a Victorian feel and sometimes on a summer evening you can catch a jazz band on the grass. The Botanicals are ripe for romance and an ideal hang out for lovers or a good book if that’s your thing. Or as a friend said it’s “great if you like to go on random walks with your friends and there are some awesome sculptures to look at too”.

Tip: Check out the reopened tropical green houses and don’t forget nuts for the squirrels…they’re very bold and cheeky!
 


Meersbrook Park,
off Chesterfield Road
This park is famous for its amazing views of Sheffield. It’s brilliant at New Year and Bonfire night because you can see all of the fireworks in the city for free. There’s plenty of sun bathing spots on its open hills which are good for rolling down, then walking back up to burn off the calories from all of those ice creams! There’re also cool leafy walks and a playground, basketball and new skate area. To top all that it has a little funky free museum called Bishops House, which is a picturesque and public history site dating back to the 1500s.

Tip: Don’t forget plenty of water from tackling those hills!

 

 

 

Aahh there’s so many more green spaces we want to tell you about, but we just ain’t got the room! Graves Park is massive and often holds events and mini festivals, plus it has a little farm for all you animal lovers. Millhouses Park has a similar feel to Endcliffe Park and a nice cooling river. Weston Park on the outskirts of the centre has its own magnificent and free Weston Park Museum. Here in Sheffield we are just too spoiled for green!

So, there are NO excuses for staying indoors when it’s nice. If the sun is shining, or the leaves are falling get out there and park yourself on some green!

By Gemma Allen