Where to stop close to Sheffield before we can check into hotel?

[EmeraldDreams73]

I'd love some advice from anyone familiar with Sheffield please!

I'm driving from Devon to Sheffield this weekend. Driving up on Saturday, but don't want to get to the hotel until at least 4-5pm because of parking restrictions (hoping to just pay for 24 hours)

I realise we may get stuck on the motorway and not arrive till midnight...but if all goes to plan, where's good and not too stressful traffic wise to kill a bit of time in the afternoon? Retail park/pub with large car park/nice service station on the south or east side of Sheffield ideally.

I'm shitting myself about the drive tbh so want to feel prepared somehow! Google isn't helping.

My (old) car died last week, so we've got another (old banger) - this will be my first long drive in it. I don't trust cars, had a bad run of unexpected bills lately and am very skint and just worried about not getting there at all/losing the hotel ££/etc. Plus got to take exh with us (thankfully he's staying elsewhere) and he can't share the driving - well, he drives like a twat so I've said no!

Thanks in advance 🤗

I’d go to Hunter’s Bar, Sharrowvale, Ecclesall Road and Division Street with a visiting teen.

Lively busy student areas, loads of places to eat and cute shops.

Also Botanical Gardens in same area. Always full of students. You can feed the squirrels!

If you're interested in history, then Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet would be a fascinating place for you to visit. It's open till 4pm daily, so fits in with your timings, and it is to the south of the city.
It's much cheaper to visit Abbeydale than Chatsworth!

Graves Park is a lovely idea.

Please don't go to Meadowhall, it'll add an extra stressful hour or so in terms of getting there, parking up etc all so you can go to Boots or Superdry or whatever.

I would definitely do that myself.

Hardwick hall or Bolsover Castle. Both within 5 mins of junction 29

But further south but if you were to come up the A1 any number of country parks. Rufford is good. Or else stop at Sherwood Forest and have a little walk to see the Major Oak!

I would say: bite the bullet and pay for parking. Take DD to town, walk down Division Street, maybe food in the Forum, and walk around the Fargate end, go in the cathedral (lovely café if you can get a table) and maybe a walk down the Moor? or Kelham Island / Victoria Quays?

Very studenty and would give her a chance to see the student life. I don't know if it still is but at one time Sheffield University claimed that more of their students stayed in the city after graduation than anywhere else. I'm not a city person but it's a very nice city.

Graves park is still fun even if you don't have little ones. Grownups can like farms too. Ecclesall Rd and the botanical gardens is a good shout too though. Or you could come via the peaks and stop at the longshaw estate and padley gorge.

If it's not raining I would suggest walking around broomhill/ Ecclesall road as that where a lot of the students live so you'll get a vibe for the area. There should be some on street parking

I would just go and have a look round in central Sheffield. The Winter Gardens and Millennium Galleries. Go up Division Street for independent shops. Get food in Cambridge Street collective. Parking is not usually too much in Sheffield.

Sheffield is a great place for students! Plenty going on but not too big.

Is the hotel in the city centre? I'd imagine the quickest route would be to come in on the M1 which actually brings you in on the east side of the city (A630/A57).

If you wanted to come in on the south west side, you could come off the M1 earlier and come through Chesterfield, but you might get a bit stuck in Saturday traffic that way.

I think my advice would be different depending on where your hotel is.

Agree Ecclesall Road area is nice if coming from South.

Or Division Street, Fargate and The Moor in the city centre (it's not a huge centre!).

Or yes Meadowhall if you do come in from the east (M1) and your DD likes shopping centres (there's a food hall there too).

Tbh @CaptainMyCaptain I agree with you about Meadowhall, I am not a fan and esp on a Saturday.

There are some nice ideas here @EmeraldDreams73 but I am clearly over-invested in the thread.

I don't really understand why you don't just:

• a) bite the bullet and pay for extra parking at the hotel (how much will it be? Unless it's like £20 (surely unlikely) you'll spend more at Meadowhall or a park cafe anyway) or
• b) leave an hour later and just land in Sheffield at 5pm. If you are delayed by an hour, so it’s 6pm. No biggie.

Why do you think it might take till midnight? Google suggests it will take about 4.5-5 hours – so I would leave at about 11.30am, stop for lunch, arrive about 5pm. Happy days. If you are a nervy driver, some of the detours into Sheffield city centre or Hardwick or Bolsover or Chatsworth or Chesterfield we are suggesting might stress you out more?

For sure some of the suggestions of nice studenty areas to explore in Sheffield are great and worth a look on Saturday night. Hope you have a good day – Sheffield is a great city.

Sheffield is a great uni city but I do think taking your ex along is a recipe for stress! Can you not alternate, that’s what I did with my ex and we each visited half the unis (in fact I did more but that’s par for the course)

You're so right but this is the one she's got her heart set on so he insisted on coming! She refuses point blank to go to any with just him, wants me there too...I can cope...

Great call exploring the city a bit, thank you all! :)

I don't mind at all paying for additional parking, but wasn't sure if we were even allowed to at the hotel. We're only staying one night and just didn't want to get bogged down in traffic trying to find car parks. Not normally a nervy driver but unfamiliar (and ancient) car plus 4-5 hour drive, plus unfamiliar city and I'm just wanting to keep it as well planned as I can.

We live v close to the M5 in Devon and every 5 minutes it's closed/identifying as a car park/something's happened which means gridlock for the entire area! Same story where my parents live near the M3 in Hants. That's why I'm braced to be sat on it for hours at some point but everything crossed that won't happen!

Thank you all again, dd and I really appreciate it.

PS staying at Best Western on Victoria Quays!

Ah that's on the east side of the city, just off the road where you come in from the M1 junction 33.

If there's parking at the hotel I'd be tempted to park there and walk into the city (10-15 mins) and look around the city centre. It's nice, and not massive. And then you'd avoid having to drive round and complex bits / massive roundabouts etc.

Sheffield city centre is actually a bit shit. But the students areas - Broomhill, Sharrow Vale, Ecclesall Rd - are nice places to walk around so she can get a feel for the place.

Most people I know who make that drive stop in either Matlock or Derby.

Excellent plan! It's fine when you know where you're going, but after hours of driving and being talked at by xh,
I can live without the "Got in wrong lane, ended up miles from where I wanted to be" thing!

Don’t go to Meadowhall, it’s horrible there and out of your way anyway if you’re going to Sheffield from Devon. Which hotel are you staying in? I live in Sheffield so might be able to help with suggestions.

Not really. The quickest and easiest route from the M42 is up the M1. Chatsworth is quite a diversion.

I would also suggest Meadowhall.

Sheffield is horribly expensive for parking, so I would suggest driving down Sheffield Parkway and using the Park and Ride car park at Nunnery Square and getting the tram in. I don't think there are any time restrictions there.

Sorry I see you’re staying in Victoria Keys. I recommend The Riverside Pub, it’s about 15 min walk from your hotel. X

Cross posted. If there is a car park at the hotel (I'm pretty sure there is a multi storey) I would just pay the extra for parking.

So just park at the hotel. If you are booked in there overnight, I am sure you can park there at 5pm. If you are concerned about driving in an unfamiliar city (totally fair enough) then I would deffo avoid adding in an extra stop-off with extra route finding and parking stress.

The M5 is just a motorway – yes it has holdups sometimes but lots of the time it is perfectly Ok. I am sure it will be fine.

ETA: just looked and the hotel has a car park. Presumably you can use it if you are checked in to the hotel. Just check on any restrictions.