Parkwood Springs
Ten years in the making, Parkwood Springs opened in autumn 2012 and has been offering riders the opportunity for a big grin inducing, all-weather swoopy, jumpy treat ever since. The idea was originally conceived by British Cycling’s Dan Cook and was then helped considerably along the way by Sheffield City Council’s Jon Dallow, who was instrumental in attracting the funding required from Sport England, South Yorkshire Forest and the European Union as well as building relationships with the Friends of Parkwood and other locals stakeholders.
With some design input from Steve Peat, the trail was built by Bike Track who managed to cram an amazing amount of trail into such a small space and has been going strong ever since. Used as a training ground for new riders through to Olympic athletes as well as hosting a round of the Nutcracker MTB series; the UK’s first ever urban MTB trail has been a resounding success.
As Jon Dallow would say “Its more city centre than trail centre” so, here is a bit more information to help you get the most out of your visit;
Trail Grade(s) and distances Blue/Red
The trail consists of a blue grade loop with a red grade opt in for a section of the descent, offering a few more challenging (yet still rollable) jumps. The trail is a classic flow trail, with plenty of jumps, rollers and berms, even the climb back up is pretty easy rolling (at least for the first few laps) The surface works well in the wet and is the best place to head to when the rest of the trails are a mudbath
Total Trail Distance: 2 KM Ascent:65m Descent: 65m
Location/Access
The trailhead is located on Shirecliffe Road (S5 8XB) but you can access the trail from a couple of different points, the most popular one is via the Bridleway on Rutland Road, if you are coming from town this cuts down on a bit of roadwork (and climbing) and means that you finish on a bit of downhill too.
The trail is 2.5 miles from Sheffield Railway station and can be accessed on largely quiet or traffic free routes.
Parking
The car park on Shirecliffe Road is open on a weekend, but if you are planning on visiting during the week, please park considerably on Shirecliffe Road. Many riders prefer to park at the bottom of the hill to use Rutland Road as a bit of a warm up.
Local Services
There is the Rutland Sandwich Shop on Rutland Road, which is always good for a butty. But if you fancy a bit more, you are only a short roll away from Kelham Island, which has a bunch of options from the excellent “The Grind” coffee shop to some world-class ale pubs too.
The nearest bike shop is Langsett Cycles, just across the A61 on Infirmary Road.
Thanks
This trail would not be possible without the vision of Dan Cook, the persistence and skills of Jon Dallow and his team from Sheffield City Council, along with Steve Peat. Big thanks go to Bike Track for doing what they do best!
Trailforks Map
