The Upper Don Trail Trust

13/05/2026

Our four-year campaign with the Oughtibridge and Wharncliffe Side community, sometimes dubbed ‘Oughtigate’, has succeeded in opening safe and official access to beautiful public woodlands via Yorkshire Water land. It will soon also form an important missing link in the Upper Don Trail from central Sheffield to Langsett and Pen*stone.
For over four years people have had to resort to a hole in the fence down a steep and hazardous riverbank to enjoy woodland designated as Open Access under the Countryside & Rights of Way Act.
In May 2022 we took up the matter with Yorkshire Water and Forestry England , supported by local residents, the Ramblers, the Trans Pennine Trail and Barnsley Council.
Now, after four years almost to the day of patient lobbying, Yorkshire Water have granted a permissive right of way and installed a new ‘kissing gate’ on Aspen Rd allowing access - although at this stage for walkers only.
It’s the first step to providing an important missing link in the ambitious 23km off-road trail from central Sheffield to Langsett or Pen*stone, roughly two thirds of which is in place.

Just east of the notorious gate, DW Homes have already built a new section of the riverside trail. This will soon connect to a new footbridge over the River Don and improvements to Forge Lane at Oughtibridge which are being progressed by Sheffield City Council With this in place, hopefully next year, the Trail will run largely ‘off-road’ from Beeley Woods to the Trans Pennine Trail in Wharncliffe Woods.
The journey along the Upper Don valley will be much safer and more pleasant for everyone who wants to enjoy it without taking to the car or doing a ludicrously long detour. This will avoid the notoriously steep, heavily trafficked and dangerous Jawbone Hill.
UDTT chairperson Simon Ogden says: “We are grateful to Yorkshire Water, Forestry England and Barnsley Council for listening to local voices and volunteers.
“We accept that parts of the new trail are at present suitable only for walking, but we plan to raise funds to upgrade it for safe use by wheelchair users, cyclists and horse riders as soon as possible. Meanwhile look out for our first volunteer event to look after the new trail - coming soon!

06/05/2026

And Quiet flows the Don – Paintings by Stephen Todd


Cupola Gallery welcomeS back Sheffield based artist Stephen Todd for another solo show. Stephen is known for his paintings of the Humber, but this exhibition focuses on the river Don in a series of stunning views from its source to the sea.
2 May – 30 May 2026
Cupola Gallery 178 Middlewood Rd S61TD
Stephen is raising money for Sheffield Samaritans. A percentage of sales will be going to support their work

06/05/2026

Club Mill Spring Clear-up 2026

Join us for a community clear-up of the riverside mainly between Wardsend Cemetery and Herries Road.
Meet Livesey St Bridge what3words ///judges.buck.solve
• Remove fly-tipping
• Litter pick
• Cut back encroaching vegetation
• Improve Waymarking

Saturday 23rd May 10.0- 1.00

Supported by
Upper Don Trail TrustL
Loxley Litter Pickers
Friends of Parkwood Springs
Friends of Wardsend Cemetery

23/04/2026

Will you sign a petition to help local people to regain access to the Upper Don Trail and Beeley Wood from the Middlewood area?

Rocher (or Killiecrankie) Bridge is the footbridge that crosses the River Don between Middlewood Road North and the Abbey Forge Products factory at the end of Beeley Wood Lane.

It’s the only way of getting across the river and into the woods between Wadsley Bridge and Oughtibridge. But it’s currently closed and taped off because of a crack in one of its abutment walls. There’s also damage to a small wooden bridge on the footpath that leads to the footbridge from the bottom of Stockarth Lane, meaning that’s been taped off too.

The closures are dragging on, because the council’s public rights of way team are so short of cash and staff that they can’t say when they can do the repairs.

Concerned local people have now raised a petition urging the council to treat the problem with some urgency, and restore this important access to local countryside. Volunteers could help with repair of the smaller bridge.

If you can sign it and maybe share the link with friends,, we’d be very grateful for your support. The link to the petition is here:

Hello I hope your having a lovely day. First I would like to thank our first signature from Ed Syder! Next I would like to address how you can go further in supporting this petition, First lets put down a signature! This is an amazing thing you can do to support your local community. Next lets sprea...

04/09/2025

Public Meeting
Potholes, Pavements & People Power !
The Bumpy Ride to a National Cycling & Walking Network
With Laura Laker
Talk and Discussion with Laura Laker, active travel campaigner, journalist & author of best seller Potholes & Pavements, celebrating the trials & triumphs of the often volunteer-led movement for a national network of mainly off-road cycling, walking and wheeling trails. Laura also leads ‘People Power: Unlocking Demand for Rural Walking & Cycling Routes’ campaign
Discussion will focus on lessons and experiences of building the network nationally and in S Yorkshire Wednesday

8th October 7.00 pm SADACCA 48 Wicker Sheffield S38JB

Free Entry but booking advisable via Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1659159764519?aff=oddtdtcreator

26/08/2025

TWO FREE GUIDED WALKS FOR HERITAGE OPEN DAYS
From Tip to Trail’ a New Walking & Cycling Trail from Oughtibridge to Deepcar

16 Sep 2025 6.0 -8.00 pm Aspen Road, Wharncliffe Side, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S35 0BY

Explore the next planned route of the Upper Don Trail and safer links to the Trans Pennine Trail on a journey of contrasts between Wharncliffe Side and Deepcar.
The walk will pass through the forgotten industrial moonscapes of Deepcar Brickworks, More Hall Tips and Wraggs Quarry, but will also take in the spectacular valley landscape, unspoilt river banks, the beautiful Wharncliffe Woods where you will learn about dragons, mines, orchids, the birthplace of English climbing and much more.

To book go to
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-tip-to-trail-a-new-walking-and-cycling-trail-tickets-1471013905189?aff=oddtdtcreator

From Kelham to the World’s End – Upper Don Trail the Past Present and Future

18th Sept 6.0 -8.0 pm, Alma St/Kelham St

Follow the emerging Upper Don Trail along the river, a route that reveals some of Sheffield’s most distinctive industrial architecture both in decay and regeneration, including buzzing Kelham Island, regenerating Neepsend, gritty Club Mill Road and and surprising tranquility of Wardsend and Parkwood. On the way there will be bags of hidden history, a haunting cemetery, quirky characters and surprising natural beauty all in the company of well-informed guides from the Upper Don Trail Trust

To book go to
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1621026125779?aff=oddtdtcreator

12/08/2025

UDT Disowned by SCC - We need your help !
The Council is consulting on a new City Centre Access and Movement Strategy.
https://haveyoursay.sheffield.gov.uk/city-centre-access-and-movement-plan
We welcome the plan’s ambitious goal to increase travel by public transport use walking, wheeling or cycling by two-thirds in 15 years which is bold but necessary and praiseworthy.

However we feel that the walking wheeling & cycling section has serious flaws and gaps –
• The plan shows no links to any long-distance routes (National Cycle Network, Trans Pennine Trail, etc.).
• It entirely omits any mention of existing off-road routes (Five Weirs Walk, Upper Don Trail, River Sheaf Trail, Canal Towpath, emerging Lower Porter Trail) which serve the city centre.
• This failure to recognise what are often community-led & promoted routes betrays a “not invented here” attitude in the Council transport team.
• It ignores the benefits of routes offering separation from traffic, good air quality, gentle gradients & contact with nature which are often more important incentives to regular active travel than simply speed & directness
• The popular Grey to Green scheme which embodies these features & connects to the UDT & FWW is repeatedly praised as an exemplar but only minimal extensions are then proposed whilst emphasis largely remains on main-road trafficked routes for walking wheeling & cycling.
• No off-road active travel routes are shown on maps or in text which suggests they may also omitted from new signage or regular maintenance, a fear encouraged by current poor maintenance by SCC of Five Weirs Walk.
• Council consultants have refused to include signage of off-road long distance routes including UDT in the pilot wayfinding scheme at Kelham Neepsend despite repeated community requests.
Can we please ask you to make your own responses including some version of these points ? Here is a link to the consultation questionnaire.
https://haveyoursay.sheffield.gov.uk/city-centre-access-and-movement-plan

We're asking for your views on how you move around Sheffield's city centre streets, and how they should look and feel in the future. We need our public spaces and transport network to support our ambition for a cleaner, greener, thriving city centre - with more homes, more opportunities and more to....