Sheffield FridayNightRide

we have nothing to lose but our chains

2011/09/16 Pulchritudinous Pitsmoor

Brief ride report on Pulchritudinous Pitsmoor
The downpour at 6 must have put some off, it nearly did me! 25 nightriders got together in Barker’s Pool and the rain had stopped. It got dark by quarter past 7 but the moon had come out behind some gauzey cloud and the rain held off until we were cycling to the last pub, The Gardener’s Rest.

We toured the peaks, ridges and folds of Pitsmoor from the Wicker to Burngreave back to Byron Hill and through Osgathorpe and onto Grimesthorpe, back up the gentle hill of Earl Marshal Rd looking down on Skinnerthorpe and then turning back at Crabtree Ponds to go up to Abbeyfield Park, reverse again to Firs Hill, then up to Shirecliffe and to the top of Parkwood Springs, down through the woods into Pitsmoor before finishing with the abandoned plateaux of the demolished Woodside Estate and a fine view over Shalesmoor before we descended into down Rock St and Pitsmoor Rd and turn right to head off to Neepsend. (Great names to play with and say aren’t they?) We saw the variety of housing, the views and curiosities, some fine public buildings, parks and the empty and abandoned spaces where people once lived and small shops and works thrived. Bad beer but cheerful company in the Sportsman where they heralded our arrival with Queen’s Bicycle Race.

I had a really good night and enjoyed the ride thoroughly: good to get a new season underway

Sheffield FridayNightRide
Pulchritudinous Pitsmoor
Fri 16 Sep 2011
Start 6.30 pm
Barkers Pool

Weather forecast: Could be showers so bring a waterproof!! Bit capricious at the moment eh? Some say dry, some say rain, some say showers.

Heads up! on roads and some well worn paths, gravelled but not tarmacced.
Don’t forget locks and LIGHTS – its getting dark sooner rather than later
We’re getting to be a big ride – over 30 a ride since last March –
so I’ve added some advice about riding in a group to SFNR Rules that I would be grateful if you read
Pit stop at The Sportsman on Barnsley Rd – plenty of space to park bikes, spacious pub and its karaoke night tonight!, pool, dommies and crib as well, only got keg beer though

Map with route up now!

View Pulchritudinous Pitsmoor in a larger map

Theme: Following on from Hidden Hillsborough (Sep 09) and Amazing Attercliffe (Sep 10) we are cycling around Pulchritudinous Pitsmoor to explore this ancient district of Sheffield and to enjoy and appreciate the sites and buildings old and new, the views from the heights, the open spaces, a ride through the site of a Danelaw hamlet, find out where Peter Stringfellow had his second club in Sheffield and so on.
Pitsmoor has been here a long time and its name dates back to mediaeval times when iron ore pits were opened up. The name Burngreave is nowadays synonymous with the the district of Pitsmoor and the boundaries of each are unclear as they are both defined by municipality, church, and economic and social action zones. I’ve drawn out what I think is the boundary of the parish of Pitsmoor and I would argue that Burngreave is a part of that – if not an historically upstart name for the district (as opposed to original Burngreave woods) which goes back to the opening of Burngreave Rd in very early Victorian times (late 1830s)
Still there are many parishioners who come on SFNR who have lived in Pitsmoor longer than me (I came to live here June 2011!) so let the discussion begin and continue on and after the ride

Finish at The Gardener’s Rest on Neepsend Lane