[1] From the main entrance to Fulwood House, turn right on to Woofinden Road and walk down to the car park barrier. To the right here there is a footpath sign pointing down and to the right . Take the path down between a wall and a hedge, past a wooden nursery school building to an unusual stile. Step over the stile and follow the path down past overgrown fields to the left and woods to the right, (avoiding the temptation to veer to the right through a gap in the fence), down the steps, to and through a squeeze stile leading into Whiteley Woods.
Whiteley Woods belonged to the Duke of Norfolk (a major landowner around Sheffield who has quite a few pubs named after him) until 1900, when it was purchased by Sheffield City Council to provide a public park.
[2] There is a concrete bridge over the stream (Porter Brook) directly in front of you.
Go over the bridge if you want to take the alternative route to the stepping stones.
Turn sharp left once you are through the stile, and walk along a well-defined path through the wood with the stream on your right.
Along the way there is evidence of restoration works to the stream, undertaken to prevent further erosion of the banks.
[3] Further along there is a set of stepping stones over the stream. Cross the stones. Take care in wet weather. You can see Whiteley Wood Road ahead of you, but you should turn left immediately after the stepping stones, up a smaller path off the main route. Cross a stile, go up some steps and then turn right by a sign prohibiting horse riding, to follow a narrow path running parallel with Whiteley Wood Road. This comes out on to Woofinden Road at its junction with Whiteley Wood Road. Cross to the pavement on the left and continue along Whiteley Wood Road to its junction with Hangingwater Lane.
A shorter alternative which misses out the potentially muddy sections of the walk can be taken here by continuing along Hangingwater Lane to Carr Bank Lane and then rejoin the main route.
[4] Cross over Hangingwater Lane, taking care as it is an extremely busy road. There is a path leading down to the right past allotments. Follow this path down to just before the road bridge across the Porter Brook.
[5] On your left descend a short flight of steps. Cross the mill stream of the brook and follow the gravel path along the right hand side of the mill pond.
(A) This is the Shepherd Wheel pond, which is currently being restored, along with the workshop for which it provided power. The water wheel has been on this site since the 16th century and was in use until 1930. It was open as a museum from 1962 until 1997, and is to be opened again after restoration.
Go past the small workshop building on your left. Notice the steps to an upper level made of old grinding wheels. Cross the small bridge over the brook and turn left on to the wide tarmac path. Watch out for bikes and runners.
[7] Walk along the path and at a bend to the left turn sharp left over another bridge, then right up a steep narrow path away from the stream between well-maintained allotments. The path goes back up to Hangingwater Road. Cross the road, again taking care, and turn right then immediately left into Carr Bank Lane.
Climb up the fairly steep slope on the left pavement until you come to a complicated junction. Take the continuation of Carr Bank Lane ahead, with a low stone wall your right.
(B) There is a panoramic view of the west of Sheffield from here.
Continue on to the end of the road – it narrows into a path which continues down to Fulwood Road, but instead take another path between houses No 55 and No 57, to the left. Walk up the path to emerge into a completely different scene.
(C) Clarendon Road is an elegant oval of Edwardian houses, all different and many of them fine examples of the arts and crafts style of architecture popular around the turn of the century up to the 1st World War.
Turn left and walk round half of Clarendon Road, to its junction with Sefton Road. Continue in the same direction along Sefton Road and, on reaching its blocked-off vehicle exit, cross Woofinden Road to end up at your starting point, Fulwood House.
(D) Fulwood House was built for the Wilson family, Sheffield snuff manufacturers, and was occupied by them until the late 30s. The Health Authority acquired it after the Second World War.