Description
Lady Canning's Plantation
Lady Canning's Plantation is a small mountain bike venue on the edge of Houndkirk Moor above Ringinglow, about 20 minutes from Sheffield city centre and on the fringe of the Peak District National Park. Two blue-graded flow trails, Blue Steel and Cooking on Gas, make it a popular first stop for newer riders before they head into the Peak's more technical terrain.
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The Trails
Lady Cannings was the UK's first mountain bike trail built using crowdfunding, with the community raising the initial investment before GO Outdoors came on board to fund the final section of Blue Steel and the whole of Cooking on Gas. Both trails are managed and maintained by volunteer group Ride Sheffield, who also look after Parkwood Springs, Greno Woods, and Bolehills BMX.
Blue Steel
- 1.4km, blue grade. A flowy trail with rollers and bumps throughout that can be ridden with barely a pedal stroke.
Cooking on Gas
- 1.6km, blue grade. Ride to the top of the plantation and turn left off the usual forestry road for a sculpted, four-section flow trail with some bigger features than Blue Steel. The trail was closed for a full rebuild through 2025, funded by a community crowdfunder, and reopened in autumn 2025 with a refreshed surface.
Gravel Riding
From the same Ringinglow layby, Houndkirk Road heads out as a wide, gravelled byway across Houndkirk Moor with expansive views back over Sheffield, popular with gravel riders as well as walkers. It connects onward into a wider network of Peak District bridleways and byways, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.
Getting Here
Lady Cannings Plantation, Ringinglow, Sheffield, S11 7TS. Parking is informal and limited: a small layby on Sheephill Road and roadside space opposite the Norfolk Arms pub in Ringinglow (postcode for satnav: S11 7TU). The trailhead grid reference is SK 28238 83343. There are no toilets or refreshments on site. The nearest railway station is Dore and Totley, and the site also connects directly onto the Houndkirk Moor byways and bridleways for riders arriving by bike via Porter Valley.
Local Organisation
- Lady Cannings Facebook page: facebook.com/LadyCannings; Ride Sheffield Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/Ride.Sheffield1
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