Wharncliffe Woods - mtb and walks
Enjoy miles of cycling and walking trails through this large wooded area near Rotherham. The route starts at the Woodhead road car park and follows the Trans Pennine Trail north through the woods towards Wortley.
You then double back on the same trail before heading towards Wharncliffe Crags and Wharncliffe Nature Reserve. Here you can find heather, scrub and bracken with a variety of wildlife including nightjar, linnet, viviparous lizard and green tiger beetle.
There are also streams and tranquil ponds to enjoy on your tour of the woods.
Walkers can enjoy two colour coded, waymarked trails. The area is also popular with mountain bikers with a number of challenging off road trails.
If you would like to continue exploring the area then you could visit the nearby Wentworth Woodhouse and Westwood Country Park where you will find more enjoyable walking trails.
Just to the west you will find two nice circular trails around More Hall Reservoir and the adjacent Broomhead Reservoir.
Postcode
S35 8RS - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locationsWharncliffe Woods Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Wharncliffe Woods Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Wharncliffe Woods OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Wharncliffe Woods Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
The little village of Bolsterstone is located just over a mile west of the woods. Here you'll find the Castle Inn which is a typical English village pub. The friendly pub does a great Sunday lunch and is likely to have plenty of other walkers there. It's dog friendly and can be found at postcode S36 3ZB for your sat navs.
Just to the south of the woods is Oughtibridge where you could head to the Hare & Hounds. The friendly pub has a nice conservatory and beer garden to enjoy. You can find it at 6 Church St, Oughtibridge with a postcode of S35 0FW.
Dog Walking
The woodland trails are ideal for dog walking so you'll probably see other owners on your outing. The Castle Inn mentioned above is also dog friendly.
Further Information and Other Local Ideas
Just to the east you'll find the adjacent Grenoside Woods. This area is also a nature reserve with ancient woodland and a wide variety of flora and fauna. There's also three more mountain bike trails including the popular Steel City Run.
The Oughtibridge and Beeley Wood Walk takes you from the village to another pleasant wood which includes a riverside footpath along the River Don.
The woods are located just a few miles south east of Stocksbridge. You could reach the woods from the northern side of the town by following the Barnsley Boundary Walk east and then the Trans Pennine Trail south.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
A meeting of the ways. The Barnsley Boundary Walk meets and merges with the Trans Pennine Trail at this point on the southern fringe of Wharncliffe Woods, near Oughtibridge.
A pond in Wharncliffe Woods
Oughtibridge. Wharncliffe Woods has always been popular with walkers, but now also attracts lots of people on bikes like the one pictured here. The bikes with pedals are welcome, those with engines are blocked off by the gate ... well mostly!
Power lines through the woods. Many power lines and pylons criss cross the trail. Extensive trails through the woods including many difficult downhill mountain bike routes and a spur of the Trans Pennine Trail to Sheffield, not to mention the Barnsley Boundary walk
A rock feature at Upper Rock Wharncliffe Crags, below the Chase. There are some photogenic rock formations in this part of the forest. The geology of Wharncliffe Crags led to the area being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1988.
View from Wharncliffe Crags. The houses of Deepcar can be seen in the top right hand quarter of pic. The flat ground on the top of the crags is mostly carpeted with heather during the warmer months. The Crags have a long history of rock climbing: it was at the forefront at the birth of the sport in the UK in the 1880s.
Bluebell woods, Forge Rocher
Bridge over the River Don near Deepcar. The north-western (Deepcar) end of the crags stand within the Wharncliffe Heath Local Nature Reserve an area of heather, bracken, birch scrub and broad-leaved woodland that provides a home for a rich diversity of wildlife. These include rare and threatened species, such as nightjar, linnet, viviparous lizard and green tiger beetle.
Elevation Profile
