other walking tours

I’ve always had a passion for walking tours and that’s what led me to set up my own around Kelham Island and Neepsend over five years ago. So I’m also always happy to promote other guided walks that I’ve enjoyed going on myself. Here’s a few suggestions both within Sheffield and elsewhere. You can also find more of what’s on in Sheffield and one-off walks at Welcome to Sheffield and Our Favourite Places.

sheffield

HIDDEN SHEFFIELD WALKS

Well known for his ‘drainspotting’ tours, Hidden Sheffield Walks are run by local historian Calvin who also runs the Hidden in Open Sight blog. He is fascinated by the details that people often miss that tell you about our local history. The drainspotting tours are excellent and use the details contained on manhole covers, drains, road name plates and other details of the street to tell the story of the city’s development. Calvin also runs many other one-off walks and has a particular fascination with bridges, watercourses and other infrastructure, and co-ordinated the work to preserve and interpret forgotten structures in Sheffield such as Bramall Lane Bridge and Bridgehouses Footbridge.

sheffield home of football

Sheffield is where the modern game of football was invented, as well as being home to the oldest football club in the world - Sheffield FC - and the oldest ground - Sandygate, home of Hallam FC. Sheffield Home of Football is a group who raising the profile of this footballing heritage through installing blue plaques, lots of activity on social media, developing plans for a museum, bidding for UNESCO World Heritage Status for the city, and of course walking tours. They currently run two tours, one around the city centre and another exploring the city’s lost grounds around Highfield and Sharrow.

sheffield food tours

If you’re a foodie or just want to try out the best of what Sheffield’s food scene has to offer then Sheffield Food Tours is for you. They currently offer a number of different tours in both Kelham Island and the City Centre including walks that allow you to sample 5-6 different food options along the way (all included in the price), tours that focus on beer, and a history and brunch option. Along the way the guides point out local landmarks and tell you about the area. They also regularly host hen dos, stag dos and corporate events.

steel city walking

Led by a former police officer, Steel City Walking tours of Sheffield City Centre cover lots of Sheffield’s history but with a specific focus on law and disorder. Starting on Castlegate near the remains of Sheffield’s Castle, the walk takes you through the old heart of Sheffield and West Bar, before heading up to the centre of the modern city. Kevin will help you discover connections to Mary, Queen of Scots, murders and crimes, the gang wars, and the various uprisings that have been an important part of the city’s history whilst pointing out many of the city’s important buildings.

HERITAGE OPEN DAYS

Heritage Open Days is a national event that takes place each September. It’s an opportunity to see inside buildings that you wouldn’t normally have access to often with displays or tours from those who know the buildings well. Although called ‘heritage’ open days you can visit places ranging from the very old to the modern. Alongside buildings, there are an increasing number of guided walks available. Everything is free, although sometimes you need to book to help manage numbers. Kelham Island Walks has been taking part for a number of years, and it was Heritage Open Days that hosted the first ever tour of Kelham Island and is often the first opportunity to try out new walks. I’ve also worked with others to offer one-off events, such as tours of Yellow Arch Studios.

london

london walks

London Walks is London’s oldest walking tour company and their walks were the inspiration that set me on the path to starting Kelham Island Walks. They have walks running every day of the year (even on Christmas Day) and have some of the best and most knowledgeable guides in the city. As well as usual tourist fare - Westminster, City of London, Soho, Kensington, Hampstead, Jack the Ripper, and so on - they also run many one off walks as part of their ‘Tour de Jour’ at the weekend. That’s led me to go on more unusual walks such as Bethnal Green, Caledonian Road, Vauxhall, Wapping, the Huguenot history of Spitalfields, the Jewish East End, and the East India Company. They also have a podcast and blog on the city’s history.

LOOK UP LONDON

Regularly voted as one of the top walking tours in London on Tripadvisor, Look Up London is about noticing the hidden details often above your eyeline and the places many people miss. Most tours are run by Katie who is not only engaging and full of fascinating facts about London, but also offered me useful tips when I asked for advice setting up Kelham Island Walks. She has also written an excellent guidebook and has a blog and weekly email that bring snippets of that history to life. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed her walks around Soho, The City of London, and the secret gardens of The City and there are many more to choose from.