By Wenxi Jiang, MSc International Management and Marketing
Whilst living in the city centre of Sheffield, especially in the past year during the pandemic, visiting different parks has been one of my biggest events and joy in life. The fresh air, the greenness, and the chill atmosphere among people is lovely – even with masks on. I would like to show you my experience through four seasons and spread the joy!
Weston Park and Crookes Valley Park
Weston Park is one of the most iconic parks in Sheffield. My first visit was when I was taking part in a city tour by international school staff as a new student. In this park, you can see Weston Park Museum, very beautiful architecture and a small lake with ducks and swans swimming and resting. If you are lucky, you can even see and feed the squirrels! Usually on sunny days, people will just sit or lie on the grass, either chatting or reading a book. This park was one of the first things I saw of Sheffield, and gave a great first impression.
Crookes Valley Park is next to Weston Park, and only around two minutes away from the Management School. The most famous thing about Crookes Valley Park is the cherry blossom trees. With the huge lake and animals, it is always the best place to bring kids, walk dogs and appreciate the beauty of the scenery.
Spring
From late March, England will wake up from the cold and rainy days. At this time, you can change to wear some colourful and lightweight clothes, which immediately makes you feel better! With the warm breeze gently blowing, the cherry blossom flickers and falls down like snow.
Summer
Summer is an ebullient season. The sky is vast, the sun is strong and the nature is flourishing. People also become more active and open. They come to the park to experience the joy of sports and do some sunbathing.
Autumn
Autumn is short. And I think this is another way to say autumn is precious. Every corner in Sheffield is covered with golden leaves and that’s the time you know you should go to the park. Even watching the sunset going down gives you a little bit sense of sadness and homesick, you know the view is worth it.
Winter
The white winter is so special. I stayed up late the night before the first snow in Sheffield in 2021. In the morning when I open the curtain, I was shocked by the snow that totally changed the view. Everything looked clean and clear under the whiteness. When I got to the park, there are kids and teenagers already started to play. They built snowmen and sledged down the slope by skate, or even just a plastic bag. It’s easy to be happy when it’s snowy!
Parkwood Springs
Another place I would like to recommend is called Parkwood Springs. It is up on the hills and little bit away from the city center. You can search “Spirit of Parkwood” in Google Maps and Uber there. It takes about 7 minutes to drive from the city center and about 35 minutes to walk. It is a park or maybe simply a playground for the nearby neighbourhood. It has a wildly-growing lawn that can be used to play football and have picnics. And the best part is that you can overlook the whole city from the hill. But the experience is only good in summer after several sunny days in a row, because it can become very muddy and slippery after rain.
