As noted, South Yorkshire occupies roughly the bottom third of the West Riding of Yorkshire, bordering Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Cheshire. As such, the area adjacent to its south-eastern border includes parts of the Peak District. The rest of South Yorkshire has a different character; much of it – and indeed most of the bottom half of the West Riding – sits on the South Yorkshire Coalfield, mined since Roman times but never more so than following the Industrial Revolution. When the collieries began to close in the twentieth century, the region was left pockmarked by coal pits and spoil heaps and with towns, villages and suburbs rife with unemployment and sinking in post-industrial decline. But whilst the gloom may linger in some parts, time has healed much: many of the old collieries, unsuitable for building due to the risk of subsidence, have been reclaimed as country parks, whilst old mining towns and villages have become homes for commuters working in Yorkshire’s larger towns and cities.
Sheffield is the southernmost of Yorkshire’s eight cities (one of which, Ripon, is no longer connected to the rail network). Its metropolitan borough includes six railway stations, of which we shall walk from five; the sixth, Dore & Totley, is located in the historic county of Derbyshire and is therefore not included here. We will begin at Sheffield Railway Station, South Yorkshire’s largest, which serves the city centre...
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