As I mentioned some time ago, something is dragging me towards the north. My daughter is starting university in Leeds, and in the past year or so I’ve been exploring cities up north. One I really like is Sheffield. I’ve spent some days there and the first thing I noticed is how hilly the city is. Using a bike, like I do here in Cambridge, is impossible, unless I get an electric one for myself.
I didn’t know much about this city until I decided to visit it. I’m interested in its industrial past. There are cities in Spain with a somewhat similar history of lost industries and social turmoil. I won’t go into politics, but I guess anytime a whole industry is relegated, for whatever reason, a lot of people are going to be unhappy. Sure this was a long time ago, and way more complex than my superficial analysis, and now Sheffield feels like a modern city with many things to do and see. This industrial past is clearly visible in the architecture of the place though. And I like how it’s integrated into more modern looking aspects of the city.
Some neighbourhoods felt really nice. I liked Sharrow vale a lot, for its village-like feel and independent shoots and eateries. It reminded me a bit to Walthamstow, where I lived some years ago. Nearby is Endcliffe park, which leads you to the Peak District national park. It feels great to know how close Sheffield is to this place. I’ve been there in the past and it is a lovely place to wander around and do hikes, visit villages and pubs, and other outdoorsy activities. Having this right as your doorstep, why would you need anything else? Crookes has great houses, but very steep hills. The industrial Kelham Island looks like a great place to live even if it had a not so reputable past, apparently. I felt though, that the city centre was a bit deserted. Maybe because it was a time without students, maybe because tourists possibly prefer to go somewhere else. There is a lot of wall art around, something that adds colour to somewhat rough looking parts of the city centre. Similar to what I saw in Glasgow.
As usual, when I visit a place like this, I needed to ask myself, how is this in winter? Are those steep hills going to be frozen?
