Text of article for Up and Over

There has been quite a lot of work going on in the Sheffield/NE Derbyshire area. As you will all
be aware we got quite badly hit by the June 07 and January 08 storms, and it is taking a long time to get everything back to standard. Additionally we were hit by cable thefts on our two iconic Cobweb
and Bailey bridges, and the city centre sections have been affected by large development projects.

At the time of writing the City Centre to Wicker Arches section of the Five Weirs Walk is still closed, although we hope it will be open soon. The Warren St to Norfolk Bridge section has just been resurfaced and is open for business, although the next section where the Pergola was damaged is still closed. There are temporary NCN stickers up so you can make your way to East Coast Rd, and after that the route is open. Meadowhall has completed the rebuilding of its flood defences, although the bridge over to Meadowhall Rd is still closed. The hotel at Meadowhall is nearly complete so that will dispose of another tricky diversion. The River Stewards have been helping us run clean-up events along the Walk.

The trail alongside Hartley Brook has recently been resurfaced as well.

Heading East and South, the developers at the site next to Park Square have done a great job of keeping the route open. We still have problems up at the Manor, but one of our rangers, Craig Malkin is working to get the kids at the Park Academy to take ownership of the part of the route that runs alongside the premises.

Sheffield Council put up new signs at the junction at Richmond where routes 6 & 67 diverge after years of prompting. Unfortunately one of them got pulled down almost immediately! A more robust solution is needed here. The Beighton tip site has been landscaped and you now have the option of heading over the top as well as alongside the Mosborough Parkway. Some sections along here have been resurfaced as well.

Sheffield Green Drinks run a series of monthly events where thy visit different 'Green' initiatives around the city. I managed to persuade them to take a "Round the airport" bike ride on the NCN - I wasn't able to go on it myself, although some of my colleagues in Pedal Pushers went, and I hear they had a thoroughly good time. People were amazed at the beauty of Bowden Housteads Wood, and appalled at the fact that Sheffield had driven the Parkway through them, in equal measures.

Heading south towards Chesterfield, some long-awaited resurfacing work is taking place around Renishaw. The route around Staveley is still disrupted, and local rangers Paul and Pip and have been doing their utmost to ensure that diversion signs remain in place. I hear there are plans for a new bridge across the River Rother in Chesterfield.

Pedal Pushers "Cyclists Specials which run out to Waterthorpe, near Rother Valley have been very popular, and bike rides have taken advantage of the various trail options, either down towards Chesterfield,
eastwards on NCN6 to Worksop and Clumber Park, or northwards towards Rotherham.

A new cycle track alongside Penistone Rd has been designated part of NCN6 by Sustrans. As it is an urban cycle route it should be regarded as part of the NCN rather than the TPT - however, when complete it should link with the TPT at Oughtibridge, with a new cyclepath through Beeley Woods.

So with all this in place, by spring 09 we should have a fully functioning network of TPT and linking routes in Sheffield! When it is all complete we will have some rides to celebrate - look out for details in future editions of Up and Over.