What should I do in Sheffield next week?

[onthebonesofmyartistry]

Mid-week for one night in the city centre. I’ll arrive around mid-day by train, have an event in the evening, and will be free all the following day.

I’ve visited before but not for decades so I’ll be intrigued to see it again. I like architecture, and green spaces (not municipal parks) and galleries and properly impressive shopping. And I’ll need to eat!

So what’s unmissable?

Also the weather forecast looks beautiful - so gorgeous outdoor venues will be a priority.

To eat: Aux Bon Vivant. Delicious frend food.

Winter gardens and Peace gardens, right by the Town Hall. There’s Piccolinos or Ego right by there. It’s all close together

Green spaces - get the train or the 272 bus out to the Peak District.
Book a swim at Hathersage Pool (heated, outdoor).

Nonna’s on Eccelsall Rd is very good Italian food.

Botanical Gardens - you can get 120 bus from town centre to hallamshire hospital and then about a 5 minute walk from there - there’s a cafe there called Joni’s which does food and cocktails and has an outdoor terrace (does get busy though)

You could walk through Botanical Gardens onto Ecclesall Road where there are more food and drink places and some independent shops (although not sure if anywhere in Sheffield has seriously impressive shopping!)

There are a few independent shops at Leah’s Yard off Cambridge Street in the centre and a food hall nearby called Cambridge Collective

Ive not been to Aux Bon Vivant (on campo lane behind the Cathedral) but the food does look amazing

218 bus out to Bakewell. Walk cross country to Edensor and then Chatsworth. 218 back from there.
or just 218 bus to Chatsworth and potter around the grounds.

Or you can get any of the 80s buses from the town centre and get off at Ecclesall road /Thompson road. Which will take you straight to the Thompson Road entrance of the Botanical Gardens which are beautiful.
For Galleries the Graves Art Gallery above the library on Surrey Street is worth a look. And the millennium gallery in the Winter Gardens always has touring exhibitions as well as permanent ones.
If you want to go further afield eh Longshaw Estate is beautiful it's still in Sheffield and on the edge of the peak District. The 272 or the 65 from the city centre will take you there

see if anything takes your fancy at Sheffield General Cemetry? They have food, history and music not just graves!

Where are you working and staying?

Oh - thanks all! I disappeared down a memory rabbit hole with an AI friend … Who also suggested the Botanical Gardens.

The eating / drinking places I’ve had suggested elsewhere include:

South St Kitchen

Kelu

Bench

and Marmadukes on Cambridge St for breakfast. Do any of those sound ideal, or are your places better?

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads Angel St!

Doma in Kelham Island

Oh yes, an acquaintance mentioned Doma. I’ll look up the menu.

I like the sound of a heated outdoor pool.

Hathersage pool can get very busy particularly if it is nice weather so unless you book in advance I wouldn’t expect to get in if you just turn up.

Doma in Kelham Island does great food. I haven’t been to Marmaduke’s but I’ve heard it’s not as good as you’d think.

It’ll surely be better than a hotel breakfast! As long as the coffee is decent …

Is the Cathedral worth visiting? I often like going to choral evensong in new (to me) cities and may be able to fit it in before my event.

If you want to feel like you’ve stepped into a cafe in Italy, go to cafe Tucci, amazing cakes and pastries.

Graves park is lovely for a walk, get any bus that goes up Meadowhead & get off at Charles Ashmore Road, you can walk up past the boating lake to the Rose Garden Cafe & either loop back to Meadowhead or walk out onto the corner of Hemsworth Road & Derbyshire Lane & either wait for a bus or walk downhill for about 10 minutes down to Woodseats. Where are you staying? There is also the open top bus out to the peak district or you can catch the train at Dore & Totley Station to Edale, when you get off the train, walk through the underpass & there is a beautiful cafe at the side of the railway which serves lovely home cooked food like quiches, sausage rolls, cakes etc or you can have a cooked breakfast.

Slightly worried by the absence of the word ‘taxi’ from all your various accounts … Though the open top bus to the Peak District sounds fab.

There's limited session times at Hathersage Pool so you need to time getting there carefully. I think there's an old style bath house style spa in the city, but it's indoors so not the best choice if the weather is nice.

My cheap and cheerful favourite food choice in the Sheffield area is a Beres roast pork sandwich.

I wouldn't bother with taxis, in the city centre, you'd just walk and further afield there's buses and trains. I'd imagine a taxi out into the Peak District would be very expensive.

Exactly this.

Oh dear … Investigating bus routes into the Peak District has taken me to the David Mellor place in Hathersage …

https://www.davidmellordesign.com/shops/hathersage

That alone may be worth a journey. Would be such fun to see, even though I have at times practically lived in the London shops. Has anyone been there?

I might venture onto that bus route but skip Hathersage Pool (seems a bit too regimented and constrained as part of a short trip).

And Mr AI suggested Kelu for an evening drink - but it appears to be in the middle of nowhere?

Kelu is in Shalesmoor so a bit out of the city centre

Hathersage pool is lovely but will probably be booked up/crazy busy if the weather is nice

The David Mellor place is good - there’s a nice cafe and an expensive shop selling lots of kitchen wear - you can also get to Hathersage by train

Hathersage also has some nice cafes/pubs

Hope you have a great time whatever you do

Thank you!

A few more recommendations would be welcome, though - I don’t want to be on the train home scrolling through lists of fabulous places I missed.

The DM shop is lovely, even just for the building, let alone the contents.

When we first moved to the area we were young and low income, and could barely afford to shop at Argos! DH used to sometimes go to DM as part of a Hathersage Businesses networking group and report back all the lovely things. Coincidentally, I use grew up in central London and used to get the bus from outside the Sloane Square shop.

6 months ago (and 25 years later) I walked in a bought their salt and pepper grinders. I felt like I’d grown up!