Living in Dronfield midway between Sheffield and Chesterfield, my wife, Lisa and I are very fortunate to be able to access the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) within a few miles of home and often frequent the route from Chesterfield and along the canal towards Rother Valley Country Park or Poolsbrook Country Park. The TPT offers us many opportunities to access other amazing old railway trails within the vicinity too.

We have always wanted to ride the TPT west to east as it is the popular choice by many but I rarely see the Central route discussed or promoted. With a Lands End to John O’Groats trip planned for late July 25 and a few days spare we thought it would be nice to tackle the TPT central route from Chesterfield to Leeds and ride it in reverse the day after, one as a way of exploring some of the lesser known bits of the TPT and as a good way to get some miles in.

The TPT central route is approximately 67 miles from Chesterfield train station to Leeds dock so on a warm and sunny June Sunday morning we headed off to ride this “hidden” route. We knew what to expect of the first part alongside the stunning Chesterfield canal and familiarity never dulls how beautiful this stretch really is.

Heading over the new bridge at Staveley is still a nice treat after years of it being missing. The newly resurfaced section from Renishaw to Rother Valley is excellent and is my favourite part of the TPT with it’s stunning old railway bridges and the disused Chesterfield canal running alongside, it really is a little slice of cycling heaven.

From Rother valley towards Meadowhall the route gets a touch more lumpy and winding so keep an eye out for the signs or you’ll find yourself in a random dead end!

From here you pass through some of Sheffield’s industrial might before skirting around Meadowhall and picking up the Blackburn Valley Trail. A couple of easy-ish hills and before you know it your into the lovely Elsecar Heritage Centre and the Dearne Valley. Back on old railway lines is definitely more preferable to tarmac and thankfully there’s more of the former.

The Trail meanders up towards Stairfoot and out into the countryside towards Wakefield.

Here we came across the beautiful disused Barnsley canal featuring deep cuttings and a real sense of abandonment. We both loved this section as it offered so much variety and industrial heritage awaiting the keen eyed explorer.  Old locks, bridges and brick walls meant that the miles ticked by as we kept our eyes peeled for more hidden gems.

The next section stitched together peaceful bridleways with quiet country lanes as we passed through many small villages with shops, cafes and pubs. The views were fantastic and the weather did it’s best to compete.

Another cracking old railway line was next up with the Castleford Greenway appearing from nowhere before we rejoined the Aire and Calder navigation for the last 10 miles into Leeds. This was stunning, a real highlight of the route for us with a fantastic mix of smooth gravel and tarmac to take us into Leeds and under the M1, the route finishing at the gorgeous Leeds Dock.

Day 2 – North to South
After a relaxing evening in our hotel we set off for the return leg at 8am the following day. It was a glorious hot day as we retraced the route. We’re not usually fans of linear out and back routes but we were both pleasantly surprised how different the route felt heading north to south. The Aire and Calder navigation revealed different things we’d missed the previous day as the morning sun bounced off the water as we chipped away at the early miles.  The locks were huge, sadly we didn’t see one in use but they were impressive nonetheless.

Feeling good, we pushed on back alongside the navigation enjoying the morning sun. Before long we were back alongside the abandoned Barnsley Canal where we stopped to explore the disused lock I’d spotted the previous day.  In the picture, I’m actually stood in the lock where the gates were once sited.

This stretch of the Barnsley canal impressed me more than the previous day with the sheer scale of engineering to have built it but what a fantastic place to cycle or walk, so peaceful and remote despite never being too far from suburbia.

One thing we both love about the TPT are the beautiful finger posts dotted along the route, this one pictured was a real beauty.  As we left the Barnsley canal behind we began to appreciate the next section much more than the previous day when we’d both said it was our least favourite section, perhaps due to it feeling much more urban as you weave through the outskirts of Wakefield and Barnsley. The section from Stairfoot towards Wath features some lovely old railway bridges and the site of the old Stairfoot station, our lunch spot for the day.

From here you soon encounter the crossing point of the East/West route of the TPT. It’s well signposted but make sure you take the correct turn!

As you head into Elsecar alongside the old canal be sure to stop at the site of Hemingfield Colliery and take in the remaining infrastructure. Elsecar Heritage Centre is also worth a visit but on this day we were disappointed to find the ice cream shop closed!

As you meander through Wentworth and back towards Meadowhall we made the decision to head through Sheffield along the Five Weirs Walk where the TPT can be picked back up at Sheffield Victoria Quays for the last 20 miles into chesterfield.

We really enjoyed the route overall and preferred it North to South. Our least favourite section was from leaving Rother Valley to joining the Blackburn Valley Trail as it’s quite twisty and felt slow to make progress through.

Overall the route is amazing and one we’ll revisit in future for quick overnight trips. There’s so much to see and explore in what was once the industrial heartlands of the North.

I made a few videos, one of each day which are available on my YouTube channel  if you fancy seeing the adventure in video.