Beeley Wood

What's on offer  

• Easy terrain 
• Clear paths 
• River (can be fast flowing after heavy rainfall)
• Woodland 

Parking

There is no car park for this walk, however whenever we've driven there we park on Station Lane 

There is limited parking so may be difficult during holidays and weekends. 

Beeley Woods is a wooded area between Hillsborogh and Outibridge. Just on the right hand side if you were going towards Outibridge from Middlewood Road North towards Langsett Road South. If we are travelling without the car we get on the SL link bus from Middlewood tram stop and get off 3 stops into the journey. We walk up to a cut in the road just below the bus stop on the opposite side of the road and walk down the steps. This is quite a muddy path and not part of the easy going trail. We walk down towards the bridge and cross. Across the bridge is a large paper factory which you walk on the outskirts of. 

You can either turn left or right at the end of the bridge. If you turn to the left you come to a great place for your dog to swim down a small slope, to an almost beach like area. 

If you turn to the right you'll eventually get to a car park, so be careful, there are some large stone Lego bricks here which are great for photos! 

Either way will eventually take you to the main path, you walk down with the river to your left, and keep following the path. 

There are a few bits when your dog can swim or paddle, be aware if it's been raining though as it can get really deep and very quick! We wouldn't advise your dog swims when it's like this. 

To your right as you walk down there is a fence to seperate you from the woods. There are often off road motorbikes going around the woods so we just keep to the path. We have never seen a bike on the path and they are usually organised groups who don't cause any hassle. 

Keep walking along the path and eventually you will get to a fenced off cricket ground, walk alongside this and you come out to a road round the back of some houses. This is a dead end drive to the cricket ground so cars go very slowly and are rarely there. You can then either follow the road to your right or take a mud path straight ahead, both will bring you out onto the road near the bridge in Outibridge. This is the road we park on when we take the car, we do the full walk backwards and then come back on ourselves. 

This walk is good in damp (not heavy) rain fall, and very pretty in Autumn. It's not a very long walk and is local/easily accessed so good for a change of scenery walk. 

Across the bridge is the Cock Inn pub which is dog friendly and serves great food. 

We reviewed this here: The Cock Inn

Whiteley Woods/Endcliffe Park

 

Where?

Endcliffe Park and Whiteley Woods are next to each other, so you can do both walks in one go, or just one depending on the amount of time you want to spend there. 

The entrance to Endcliffe Park is on the roundabout at the end of Ecclesall Road (A625). Parking around here can be very busy on a nice day, as well as during school holidays and weekends. There are loads of bus services that come near, so it's a great place to go if you don't drive. But this area is also used for work parking. I usually park on Rustlings Road, if there's space. There is a small car park but its very unlikely you'll get a space unless the weather is really dull. The car park (road) is at the beginning of Rustlings Road (nearest to the roundabout) alongside Hallamshire Tennis & Squash Club (S11 7AA). 

More often then not, we skip Endcliffe Park and just do Whiteley Woods, as with the name, it's more woodland than park and so not usually as busy as Endcliffe (although still fairly busy). 

If you're not doing both, or dont mind walking back on yourself, then you can park Oakbrook Road (S11 7EA) for Whiteley Woods, as the entrance to that is at the other end of Rustlings Road. 

What's on offer?

• Water (shallow, both)
• Kids play area (Endcliffe)
• Woodland (Whiteley Woods)
• Cafe (Endcliffe)
• Flat terrain (Both, but Endcliffe more so)
• *bike hazard*

Endcliffe park has stepping stones a kids play area, as well as a cafe and an open field all in one spot. Great for the family day out! 

There are 2 routes in endcliffe park, the front main route, past the playground and cafe, and the back way which separates you by a small stream from the main area. This tends to be a bit muddier, and is our preferred route. 

The main cafe near the playground is nice but often very very busy with lots of kids and family's. 

There is sometimes a small fair here too, with a bouncy castle and some teacup style rides. 

Both places have shallow waters, which is why taking Izzy here when she was a puppy got her used to water, as she could stand and not have to swim - great for young dogs, and old! (there is a bit near the entrance that's quite deep, so keep an eye on your dog if it can't swim, but no other that I'm aware of) 

When Izzy was a puppy she'd only venture in water that she could stand in, so this was great to break her into it. Now, however, she loves to actually swim, so it's not one of favourite places to go personally, to tick our boxes, but could be the perfect fit for you and your dog.

There are hazards in Whiteley Woods to watch out for as there is cycling routes, and a bit of the path actually has a cycling path drawn on it. So if like Izzy, your dog isnt good with bikes, this might be a lead walk for you. It's also very popular for joggers and children.  

 

Be aware that you will occationally come to a road you have to cross to carry on after Endcliffe Park, and at intervals in Whiteley Woods. You can usually see it before you get there but if your dog likes to wander off ahead, be extra vigilant if you're letting them off lead. Be very careful on this road as there is quite a sharp bend and cars come very quickly round it. 

This photo is taken on one of said roads.  

Overall this is a very nice scenic walk, in the middle of a populated area, great for making a full day of it, or even if you just want to pop out for a hour as you can make this walk as short or as long as you like. It's mainly a flat walk, so good for push chairs (Endcliffe), children and people who generally prefer flat terrain, which lets face it, is hard to come by in Sheffield!