This easy, family-friendly walk takes you through a fascinating post-industrial area that was once at the heart of steelmaking in Sheffield and Rotherham. It’s now home to the vast Meadowhall shopping complex and the Magna Science Discovery Centre, which has an extensive adventure playground for children. Much of the route follows a canal towpath which is a corridor of wildlife among the development. There is more flora and fauna to discover along the banks of the River Don and at Blackburn Meadows Nature Reserve, where bird hides afford views over several lakes and their feathered migrating visitors.
[1] From Meadowhall South / Tinsley supertram stop (SK397909), go right along the pavement, with Meadowhall centre to your left and the River Don to your right. Continue on the pavement, crossing a side road. Pass under a pedestrian footbridge, down a gentle slope, under two road bridges and then up a gentle incline. Pass under a footbridge between Meadowhall and the Transport Interchange. Continue along the path beside the river, past two sets of steel bollards. On the left, is an entrance to Meadowhall.
[2] Continue along the path away from Meadowhall, with the river to your right and a brick wall on your left. Pass under a road bridge and keep straight on to Weedon Street, and turn left.
[3] At the T-junction, cross the main road by the pelican crossing on your right to the opposite side of the street. Immediately enter the Retail Park and continue along a footpath with a wall on your left. Leave the Retail Park by a metal arch and continue to the supertram stop.
[4] Turn left to the footbridge. Once over the bridge turn immediately left on a small path, to a grassy area beside the canal. Turn left and follow the canal along the towpath. Pass several flights of locks along the canal towards Tinsley Viaduct.
[5] Either return to the tramstop by turning left on the footpath over the bridge (labelled Five Weirs Walk and Meadowhall), or continue along the towpath, under Tinsley Viaduct. By the next lock turn right over the bridge. Continue forward away from the canal and pass through an A-frame stile on your left. Continue right up the footpath towards the main road. Pass through the A-frame stile and turn left onto Sheffield Road. Continue along the footpath towards Rotherham.
[6] Cross Deadman’s Hole Lane and turn left into the Magna Centre pedestrian entrance (only open during Magna visiting hours). Follow the footpath round the Magna Centre (SK408916).
If the Magna Centre is closed, continue along Sheffield Road to the Phoenix roundabout and turn left into Bessemer Way. Continue along Bessemer Way, crossing the railway bridge and take the left-hand turning (also Bessemer Way). At the end of this road, follow the path alongside the nature reserve, joining the main nature reserve footpath on the left just before [8].
[7] Turn left into Centurion Street. At the end, take the footpath forking right to Blackburn Meadows Nature Reserve (SK413922). Go through the gate. The path soon opens out into the reserve on your left.
[8] Exit the Nature Reserve via metal gates down to the right. Go towards the canal, and cross via the bridge straight ahead. Turn left along the towpath. Continue along the towpath for some time until you again pass under Tinsley viaduct going the other way.
[9] Turn right up a slope by a fingerpost (marked Five Weirs Walk / Meadowhall / Supertram) back to the platform of the Meadowhall South / Tinsley supertram stop.