Top 12 Natural Monuments around Silkstone

Have driven out to ride here but the komoot 'upgrade' seems to be a way of forcing purchase and it won't now show me the route. Area is great though and well worth a visit - some major uphills but some great downhill sections. Will definitely be returning. Some of the paths are currently being dug up by the council so are currently closed.

Wharncliffe Crags is a gritstone escarpment north-west of Sheffield and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. The area spans several miles and includes Wharncliffe Woods, home to diverse wildlife such as tree pipits, nightjars, newts, and dragonflies. The woods feature a network of forest tracks and trails ideal for exploration.

As you near the Peak District, you will experience a transformation in the surroundings. The region is renowned for its scenic hills, valleys, and delightful villages. Appreciate the evolving scenery as you move from urban regions to the rural and undulating terrain of the national park. Anticipate encountering frequent uphill stretches, as this route poses a challenge. At times, the inclines can be quite steep, requiring me to push a bike instead of cycling.

The tale of the Dragon of Wantley tells how a dragon, living in a cave in the crags (there is still a cave known as ‘Dragon’s Den’ near Wharncliffe Lodge), terrorised the locals by preying upon their children and cattle. The knight, More of More Hall takes on the dragon in battle, wearing a suit of spiked armour, waiting in a pond for the dragon to come and drink. More kills the dragon either (depending on which version you read) with a blow or by allowing the dragon to coil around him and squeeze, thus impaling itself of his spikes.

Newmiller Dam is the lake created by the dam for the new mill :-) The village is called Newmillerdam as in New Mill on the Dam. The dam was built to provide a lake and therefore power to the mills owned by the Pashley family just south of Wakefield. The lake and surrounding area is now a nature reserve owned and managed by Wakefield Council. The lake has a well surfaced path all around it, suitable mostly for pushchairs and wheelchairs as well as kids on bikes. It's a popular place and fun for a short walk.

I used to come here as a kid and it's good to see that there are still lots of kids visiting the area. Due to it's relatively flat ground and minimal stones pushchairs can be used to navigate around the waters. There are disabled parking spots and wide entrances and exits to the paths so wheelchair users are also able to visit this lovely area. More adventurous explorers may wish to go off track and go into the woodland (unfortunately, this isn't a wheelchair option do to steps going up into the woods) where you can find walking tracks, cycling tracks (which I think may be part of Wakefield on Wheels (WoW)) and a gnome finding track for the little ones.

With breath-taking landscapes, rich history and miles of traffic-free bike paths, the Peak District is a dream for cyclists. Founded in 1951, the Peak District was the first area to become an official national park in the UK. Its 555 square miles (1,444 km2) extends across Derbyshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. With a huge amount of wildlife diversity and pretty gray-stone villages heralding back to the UK's industrial era, the Peak District is a fantastic destination to cycle.

This ancient woodland still bears the scars of the industrial revolution; the humps and hollows of past coal mining and iron working still visible. These days, you will find Thorncliffe Wood to be a tranquil and beautiful spot—a far cry from the industry of days gone by . Whilst the woodland is predominantly sycamore, you can also see a significant number of oak trees, as well as beech, ash, willow, birch and elm.