Today’s ‘Five free things to do in Sheffield’ post is the fourth in my series about free things to do around the UK as a family.
Today’s post is from the Emma from beemoneysavvy.com who’s very kindly put together her favourite free things to do in Sheffield as it’s not somewhere that I can ever remember visiting (although it’s not too far from me in North Yorkshire) and I do really want to share posts from as many different towns or cites from across the UK.
Five Free Things to do in Sheffield
I may be a little biased but I think that Sheffield is great! Sheffield has the highest ratio of trees (2.5 million) to people of any city in Europe, is famous for being a premier producer of steel, boasts the world’s oldest football club (Sheffield F.C), and is the home of Sebastian Coe, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sean Bean, Def Leppard and The Arctic Monkeys. As well as all of this, Sheffield is full of great things to do for free. From a walk through Sheffield’s beautiful green spaces, to art galleries, free events, and family-friendly days out. Here are five free things that you can do in the Steel City:
Take a Trip to the Peak District
The Peak District is a national park spanning across a wide area in the East Midlands. It is one of the UK’s most visited national parks due to being located near many major cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Nottingham. There are tons of free things to do in the Peak District including:
- Trail Walking
- Visitor Centres (Bakewell, Castleton, Derwent, & Edale)
- Cycling
- Camping
- Horse Riding
- Local Museums
- Explore Historic Dams
- Photography Galleries
- Seasonal Exhibits
- Conservation Volunteering
You can walk to the Peak District National Park from the centre of Sheffield via Endcliffe Park, Whitely Woods, Wiremill Dam, Forge Dam and right out into the Mayfield Valley. You can also get to most parts of the Peak District by bus. The Peak District bus map shows most routes in and around the area. From Sheffield you can take the service 218 to access Chatsworth, Service 271/272 to Castleton, and Service 65 to Buxton. You can also get to Grindleford, Hathersage, Bamford, Hope and Edale from Sheffield Train Station.
Millennium Galleries
The Millennium Gallery is situated in the centre of Sheffield (on Arundel Gate). The gallery always features a range of seasonal exhibitions, talks and workshops. Millennium Gallery is also next door to the Winter Gardens (a giant indoor greenhouse) where you can enjoy a picnic and some beautiful scenery. You can also find several small stalls run by local creatives where you can purchase some Sheffield merchandise.
The gallery is open Monday-Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sunday 11am – 4pm, and is free to enter but donations are welcome.
Graves Park & Farm
Around 3 miles south of the city centre Graves Park is a great green space full of children’s playgrounds, walking trails, football pitches, and a farm. This park is peaceful, dog friendly and most importantly free entry. You can get involved with the regular events that are held at Graves Park, including the Highland Fling Country Fair and Doggie Dash (a 2k walk and 5k run).
Graves Park Animal Farm is home to some of the rarest breeds of farm animals in the country from Tamworth pigs, Highland cattle, Jacob sheep and lots of baby farm animals. Your little ones can pet and feed a lot of the farm animals too!
Peddler Night Market
The Peddler Night Market, also known as the Kelham Island Night Market, is held on the first Friday and Saturday of every month in an old industrial warehouse and outdoor courtyard at 92 Burton Road, Kelham Island. At this night market you can expect to experience award winning street food, craft beer, cocktails, live music & art. Peddler is an unmissable event if you want something a bit different to do at the weekend.
It’s free to enter and enjoy the amazing atmosphere that the live music and open fire offers. Street food and craft beer is an optional extra at a cost.
Western Park Museum
This one is for the art, nature, politics, and history lovers. Located one mile west of the city centre and next door to The University of Sheffield, Weston Park Museum boasts extensive collections in social, natural and global history. One of the permanent exhibitions charts the fascinating story of Sheffield from prehistory to the present. Some of the temporary exhibits have included ‘Proud! Telling LGBT+ Stories in Sheffield’, ‘Loved and Lost’, and my personal favourite ‘Changing Lives: 200 Years of People and Protest in Sheffield’. Just outside of the Museum is Western Park which is a beautiful green space with a duck pond and tennis courts.
Western Park Museum is open every day (Monday-Friday 10am – 4pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 11am – 4pm) and is free entry all year round.
For more fun and free activities visit beemoneysavvy.com or follow @beemoneysavvy on Twitter/Instagram.
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