Sheffield

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Sheffield is a former steel mining community that has transformed itself into a vibrant student city since the mines closed in the second half of the 20th century. It is nicknamed 'England's largest village', as it has a very local, small-town feel to it. It claims more trees and parkland per person than any other European city, and is built upon seven hills (cycling here is not for the faint-hearted). Despite all this, Sheffield is the fourth biggest city in the UK.

Many tourists ignore Sheffield, because Manchester is so close. Many English people also forget that Sheffield exists for some reason. This is fine with Sheffielders - it means that they get to keep their home as their special secret. Sheffield has a strong character of a typical 'northern' city, and there is much to see and do following the recent renovations to the city centre. There is a small but rapidly growing Hospitalityclub community, fuelled by the annual 'Bummit' hitchhiking competition organised by Sheffield University. Sheffield is 10 minutes' train ride away from the Peak District national park, with many mountains and lakes to explore.


Getting about

You will be charged for using public transport, although it is sometimes possible to hop the trams. Keep a lookout on the trams - if you are very lucky, one of them may break down and as a result, you are allowed to use all local public transport for free until the problem is fixed.

Take care with using older maps. The city has been renovated recently and the locations of some of the main roads (such as the ring road which may be important whilst hitchhiking) have changed (June 2007).

Take care when reading the maps in the city centre. Most are not orientated with North upwards. Instead, they are orientated with the forward direction upwards, which can take some getting used to.

Many drivers are friendly towards hitchhikers, although they often behave defensively at first.


North, South, East, West (except Manchester)

Photo 1): Park Square. You want to be on the other side of this roundabout, so walk over the blue tram bridge and then follow one of the blue footpaths to Castlegate/Sheffield Parkway on the other side.
Photo 2): Castlegate/Sheffield Parkway. This photo is on the other side of the roundabout from photo 1). The road signposted in green is the main road to the motorway. Use it.















For hitchhiking out of Sheffield use the 'Castlegate'/'Sheffield Parkway' road, just after Park Square roundabout. From the cathedral in the city centre, follow the tramlines downhill (you may as well walk instead of buying a tram ticket: the distance from the cathedral is about 10 minutes' walk). You'll pass by the stations 'Cathedral', 'Castle Square', 'Fitzalan Square/Ponds Forge', and then the track goes over a bridge. Go over this bridge as well. Underneath you is Park Square roundabout (see photo 1)). Take the footpaths over the roundabout, and you will see a main road leading out of the city (see photo 2)). Find a suitable spot on that road and hitchhike from there - cars are going to the motorway and will take you in all directions except Manchester.

Waiting time can be long, around 45-90 minutes. The other options are travelling much futher out, to either Atercliffe Common or to the Meadowhall shopping centre. But for some reason Meadowhall seems to be terrible for hitchhiking. The Atercliffe Common/Broughton Lane junction may be worth a shot, although it is unlikely to be much better than the Castlegate/Sheffield Parkway spot described above.


West (Manchester)

Photo 3): Manchester Road. This photo is taken about 50 metres past Somerfield supermarket. Cars using the white-signposted road on the right are going towards Manchester: either hitchhike from here, or walk along this road until you find a more suitable place.

To go to Manchester, use the A57 road. It's a small road, but it's fast, beautiful and easy to get a ride.

Go to the junction of Fulwood Road and Manchester Road, shown in photo 3). It is the A57 and is in the Broomhill district. From Sheffield University walk west along Whitham Road for 15 minutes. It's best if you ask someone around the university for Broomhill: they will point you in the right direction. Once you get to the shopping street in Broomhill, look for the Somerfield supermarket. The hitchhiking spot is about 50 metres further along the road from there, away from the city.

From the city centre, Broomhill is a 20-30 minute walk. Alternatively, from the city centre take bus 51, 52, 60 or 120 to Broomhill (cost: £1-£1.50). Once you leave the bus stop ask around for the Somerfield supermarket, get to the supermarket and keep walking to find the hitchhiking spot.

The junction itself is not bad for hitchhiking, but a better option would be to start walking along the A57 Manchester Road itself for about 10 minutes. Further down the road there are better stopping places for the cars, however a lot of this is uphill and can be tiring.

The waiting time is short, usually 15-45 minutes, and many cars drive directly to Manchester or Stockport.