Best Hidden Gems in South Yorkshire
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best hidden gems in South Yorkshire are Sheffield General Cemetery, Rivelin Valley Nature Trail, Redmires Reservoir, Slippery Stones, Burbage Brook, Howden Dam, The Lost Gateway and Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet.
South Yorkshire is often pictured as a land of steel and coal, yet beyond its cities lie wooded river valleys, moorland reservoirs and quiet corners of the Peak District that reward a closer look. This is a region where industrial heritage and wild landscape sit side by side, from the water-powered works of Sheffield to the great stone dams of the Upper Derwent.
You might wander the Victorian monuments of Sheffield General Cemetery, follow the old mill dams along the Rivelin Valley Nature Trail, or walk out to the moorland chain of Redmires Reservoirs. Further west the Peak District offers the packhorse bridge and river pools at Slippery Stones, the oakwoods of Burbage Brook and Padley Gorge, and the castellated towers of Howden Dam.
Closer to the city there are curiosities too, from the carved stone archway of the Lost Gateway in Woolley Woods to the preserved scythe works at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet. Each rewards a little effort with something memorable.
Here are eight of the best hidden gems to seek out in South Yorkshire.
Sheffield General Cemetery
Photo: Richard Cooke via Geograph.org.uk
Sheffield General Cemetery is a Victorian garden cemetery in the Sharrow area, just southwest of the city centre, opened in 1836 as one of the country's first landscaped commercial cemeteries. Laid out on a former quarry with Greek and Egyptian touches, it holds around 87,000 burials and closed to new ones in 1978.
A restored Nonconformist chapel, a Gothic Anglican chapel, a gatehouse built over the Porter Brook and hillside catacombs stand among the monuments. A heritage trust now runs it as a green space and events venue, with restored paths, guided tours and the chapel used for events.
Seek it out for a quiet wander through its layered history.
Rivelin Valley Nature Trail
Photo: Steve Fareham via Geograph.org.uk
Rivelin Valley Nature Trail is a wooded riverside walk of about three miles following the River Rivelin through western Sheffield, between Malin Bridge and the corn mill on Rails Road. The valley was once packed with water-powered mills serving the city's cutlery and steel trades, and the trail passes the surviving mill dams, wheel pits and weirs among the trees.
Dippers, kingfishers and herons live along the river. Near the middle, at Rivelin Park, there are a cafe, toilets, a play area and a summer water-play feature, with parking on the valley road.
Seek it out for an easy walk through Sheffield's green industrial past.
Redmires Reservoir
Photo: Neil Theasby via Geograph.org.uk
Redmires Reservoir is one of a chain of three moorland reservoirs, upper, middle and lower, on Hallam Moors at the western edge of Sheffield, built in the nineteenth century to supply the growing city with water. Open moorland and reservoir-side paths make it a popular walking area, with wide views back over Sheffield and out across the moors.
Just beyond the reservoirs lie the faint remains of a First World War training camp, where the Sheffield City Battalion, the Sheffield Pals, drilled before going to the Somme, marked now by low banks and hollows in the ground. Seek it out for airy moorland walking and a touch of poignant history.
Slippery Stones
Photo: Peter McDermott via Geograph.org.uk
Slippery Stones is a spot on the River Derwent at the head of Howden Reservoir, in the upper Derwent valley of the Peak District, where the open river runs over a shallow, rocky bed. A 17th-century packhorse bridge stands here, moved stone by stone from the drowned village of Derwent and rebuilt in 1959 when the village was lost to Ladybower Reservoir.
There are river pools used for swimming, a shallow one by the bridge and a deeper one upstream. There is no road access, so it is reached on foot or by bike along the traffic-free valley from the Fairholmes visitor centre.
Seek it out for a peaceful riverside spot with real history.
Burbage Brook
Photo: John Fielding via Geograph.org.uk
Burbage Brook is a moorland stream that rises near Stanage Edge and runs down through the Burbage valley on the eastern moors of the Peak District, between the rocks of Higger Tor and Carl Wark on one side and Burbage Edge on the other. It passes the Toad's Mouth rock by the road, then flows into the National Trust's Longshaw estate and down through Padley Gorge, a wooded ravine of old oaks, mossy boulders and small rocky cascades, before joining the River Derwent.
Easy walks follow it from the Longshaw visitor centre, and the woods are known for pied flycatchers and dippers. Seek it out for a gentle walk among ancient oaks.
Howden Dam
Photo: Steve Fareham via Geograph.org.uk
Howden Dam is the highest of the great stone dams in the Upper Derwent Valley in the Peak District, built in the early 1900s above its near-twin at Derwent. It is faced in rock-cut gritstone, with two castellated towers rising from the dam wall and a neo-Gothic look shared with its neighbour.
The reservoir behind it feeds down through Derwent and Ladybower to supply the towns beyond. Quieter than the busy Derwent Dam below, it is reached on foot or by bike along the valley.
Seek it out for its striking towers and a calmer stretch of this celebrated valley.
The Lost Gateway
Photo: Nic Franklin-Woolley via Geograph.org.uk
The Lost Gateway is a stone sculpture in Woolley Woods, an ancient wood in the northeast of Sheffield. Made in 2010 to look like the crumbling remains of an old archway, it is built from reclaimed local stone and carved with words, runes and imagery drawn from the Norse legend of the wolf Fenrir, and you can walk under its low arch.
It stands on a woodland path as part of a local art trail, with no buildings or facilities around it. Despite its aged look, it is a modern artwork rather than a genuine ruin.
Seek it out on a quiet woodland wander and look closely at its carvings.
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Photo: Ashley Dace via Geograph.org.uk
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is a preserved water-powered works on the River Sheaf in the south of Sheffield, now an industrial museum. It made scythes and other edge tools, forged under water-driven tilt hammers, and the site keeps its water wheels, hammers, grinding shops, a crucible steel furnace, workers' cottages and the manager's house.
Documented from the early 18th century, it was restored and opened as a museum in 1970 and is run by the city's museums trust, with working demonstrations on some days. Entry is free, and it opens on set days through the year, so check ahead and seek it out for a vivid glimpse of old Sheffield.
FAQs
Where are South Yorkshire's best hidden gems?
They spread from Sheffield and its wooded valleys out to the moors and the Upper Derwent in the Peak District. Sites like Sheffield General Cemetery and Abbeydale sit near the city, while Slippery Stones and Howden Dam lie further west along the Derwent valley.
Are these South Yorkshire hidden gems suitable for walking?
Yes, many are best enjoyed on foot, from the three-mile Rivelin Valley Nature Trail to moorland paths at Redmires and easy woodland routes along Burbage Brook. Some, such as Slippery Stones and Howden Dam, are reached only on foot or by bike along traffic-free valleys, so wear suitable footwear.
Do any of these places charge for entry?
Several are free, including Sheffield General Cemetery and Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, though Abbeydale opens only on set days through the year. The outdoor sites such as the reservoirs and river valleys are open spaces you can explore at any time.
Conclusion
From the Victorian monuments of Sheffield General Cemetery to the castellated towers of Howden Dam, South Yorkshire packs a surprising range of rewards into a small area. These eight places move from city fringe to open moor, taking in wooded river valleys at Rivelin and Burbage Brook, the reservoir chain at Redmires, the packhorse bridge and river pools at Slippery Stones, a carved stone archway in Woolley Woods and a preserved scythe works at Abbeydale.
Some are free museums with set opening days, while others are walks reached only on foot or by bike along traffic-free valleys. Wherever you start, take sensible footwear, check opening days before you travel, and enjoy the mix of industry and wild country.
For anyone who likes to explore beyond the obvious, these are the best hidden gems to seek out in South Yorkshire.
