The Five Weirs Walk runs alongside the River Don in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. From

Lady's Bridge Lady's Bridge is the oldest bridge across the River Don, South Yorkshire, River Don in the Sheffield, City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the central section of the city, linking the Wicker (Sheffield), Wicker to the north with Wainga ...

in Sheffield City Centre (), it heads downstream, northeast, over the

Cobweb Bridge The Cobweb Bridge, also known as Spider Bridge, is located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, near the disused Sheffield Victoria railway station. Completed in 2002, its design solves a difficult problem: passing the riv ...

, through

Attercliffe Attercliffe is an industrial suburb of northeast Sheffield, England on the south bank of the River Don. The suburb falls in the Darnall ward of Sheffield City Council. History The name Attercliffe can be traced back as far as an entry in ...

to Meadowhall (). As the name of the walk suggests, it passes five

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

s. It is now possible to continue the walk along the Don, under the

Tinsley Viaduct Tinsley Viaduct is a two-tier road bridge in Sheffield, England; it was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom. It carries the M1 and the A631 for a distance of over the Don Valley, from Tinsley to Wincobank, also crossing the Sheffi ...

, to

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

. As of 2010, the section of the walk between Sheffield and Meadowhall has been linked with the parallel Sheffield and Tinsley Canal towpath as a circular walk known as th
Blue Loop
The walk links with the Upper Don Walk at Lady's Bridge. 5weirs

History

The Walk was conceived, developed and steered to completion by the Five Weirs Walk Trust, a handful of enthusiasts bolstered by support from statutory authorities, private companies, local charities, national funding bodies and countless members of the public. Over a period of 20 years and more, the Walk developed from a bright idea to a keystone in the regeneration of the urban river corridor. A detail history can be found in the following document by the University of Sheffield:
Five Weirs Walk History

Weirs

1. Walk Mill Weir Walk Mill includes bypass steps for kayakers & canoeists to avoid the weir. 2. Burton Weir 3. Sanderson's Weir – This weir includes a fishpass which was also designed to accommodate safe passage for canoes & kayaks. 4. Brightside Weir 5. Hadfield's Weir Brightside weir on the River Don - geograph

Brightside weir on the River Don - geograph

Salmon Pastures nature reserve

Salmon Pastures is a small (0.19 ha (0.47 acres)) nature reserve, managed by the

Wildlife Trust for Sheffield and Rotherham Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust is a registered charity and conservation organisation working across Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1985, the Trust manages nature reserves, campaigns for wildlife protectio ...

, adjacent to the walk. The site is visited by mistle thrush, bullfinch, goldfinch and long tailed tit. Kingfishers, little grebe, moorhens and mallards can be seen on the adjacent banks of the River Don. Invertebrates such as dragonflies, moths, butterflies and hoverfly can be seen at the reserve.

References

External links

Five Weirs Walk – Website

Five Weirs Walking GuideBlue Loop Map
Transport in Sheffield Geography of Sheffield Tourist attractions in Sheffield Footpaths in South Yorkshire {{SouthYorkshire-geo-stub