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It looks like I'm going to be moving south in the Autumn. I'm spoilt rotten at the moment and have a beautiful, completely traffic-free commute to work along a disused road (now foot/cycle-path). The route is something that I'm [b]really[/b] going to miss. I was wondering if anybody has any ideas for areas/villages to live in, where a nice commute into the centre of Sheffield might be possible?
Have a look at the various sustrans maps.
Hathersage or grindleford would be my choice
You're going to struggle for traffic free, the only genuinely traffic free routes I can think of is along the don valley (5 weirs route) or there's a path along the side of the parkway (road) into town. However these are sides of town that I personally wouldn't want to live.
Scandalous has suggested the Hope Valley, which is nice but the commute could end up as a grind every day both ways as it's pretty hilly (unsurprisingly), but you could use the train (Hope, Bamford, Hathersage, Grindleford) if you didn't want to cycle each day.
I'd suggest a suburb rather than a Peak District village, best of both worlds IMO. Lodge moor, crosspool, ranmoor, fulwood, whirlow, etc on the west of the city has easy access into town and MTB on the doorstep into the peak. However the commute is not traffic free, the only part that is vaguely traffic free would be down through the parks Endcliffe then onto ecclesall road.
Can't beat s10 for access to dark peak up porter cough or via redmires and sustrans route 6 takes you into the centre of town traffic free until hunters bar roundabout.
No decent pubs in Fulwood though 🙁
^what dobcroster said. And get used to climbing hills.
Sheffield has amazing roads - there are picturesque lanes within 3-4 miles of the city centre, especially out in the Rivelin / Stannington / Loxley valleys out towards Strines. If the criteria is purely based on commute, I'd live in Bradfield or even Stocksbridge, I think. From Stocksbridge you could ride some beautiful lanes into town yet still be near the motorways if you want to drive. If you come in from the west side of Sheffield (A57), only the final 1.5miles of the commute will be built-up / traffic. Coming in from the South West is a bit more built-up.
As for off-road / old railway line line commutes, I don't know of any. But the roads are lovely (potholes notwithstanding) to commute from outside of the city.
I love Sheffield, though. The last few days I've been riding (west) home from Sheffield, watching the golden sun set over Hallam Top / the back of Stanage. I can't believe this view is only 2-3 miles from the centre of one of the UK's most populous cities. Presumably I don't need to extol the virtues of riding mountain bikes in / around Sheffield?
Stocksbridge, Penistone, Bradfield, there are loads. Just throw a dart in a map & you'll not be far off
Thurgoland!
From,Penistone you can get almost to city centre off road on trans pennine trail which makes for a good ride in...
Can't believe people are recommending stocksbridge, it's an absolute hole of a place! Just nip in the friendship for a pint and see what's what.
Is the grindleford cafe still being run my that crazy loon? If so move there, that place is awesome.
My mate lives in Grindleford and bikes up the hill to the station, gets the train in in the morning with his bike and then rides all the way home at night, a reasonable compromise. Otherwise anywhere up the Porter Clough/Endcliffe Park corridor gives a nice ride to town. I live in Crookes which is an easy , quick commute into town but a grind out again at the end of the day, not very scenic though.