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ROLLESTONE WOOD is in the South East district of Sheffield known as Gleadless Valley.

There’s records showing trees have been grown on the land where today’s wood stands since 1432.

The name Rollestone is a throwback of the name Rawlinstone, which was the surname of the farmer that used to own nearby Herdings Farm, and it is believed that the nearby Herdings Wood and today’s Rollestone Wood use to be linked together as one huge woodland area many centries ago.

Rollestone Wood was around 200 – 250 years ago a “Working Wood”, this means a wood that was coppiced for charcoal burning. Even today, in many parts of the wood you can still see the hollow pits were the charcoal burners used to burn the timbers util they produced charcoal that was used to line furnaces in Sheffield.

The wood today is a mixture of broadleaved decidious trees and non-decidious fur trees (hardwood and softwood). There’s not as many grey squirrels living in the wood now as there was twenty years ago, but foxes are plentiful, especially in late winter when it’s their mating season, hedgehogs too can be seen quite often on warm summer evenings.

Although not a Parkland as some folks know parks, Rollestone Wood is a Woodland Nature Park set aside for people to enjoy in different kinds of ways.

The Trough is located in Gleadless Valley, just off a footpath beside Rollestone Wood, three miles South East of Sheffield City Centre.

The Trough is a small ancient stone built sink that was used about 250 years ago by woodland workers for the purpose of giving their ponies somewhere to drink water.

In it’s heyday The Trough would have been a very busy meeting point for the local community of Gleadless Valley which included the woodland workers whos job it was to coppice trees to create white coal (charcoal) which was used to fire blast furnises in Sheffield’s iron industries.

Unfortunately, times have changed, The Trough is very difficult to find now due to being burried by overgrown woodland vegetation. To find this ancient horse trough you must seek the assistance of a Woodland Ranger from Sheffield’s Parks Dept., if you’re interested in local history then The Trough is well worth discovering.

South Cliff Beach, located roughly 1.5km south of Bridlington, along England's east coast may not be everyone's idea of the perfect "Naturist Beach", but to some people that's just what it is. Each summer when England's weather temperature rises above 20c about thirty or so brave young, middle-aged and elderly people join together along this stretch of beach to enjoy the pure delight of Naturism (or if you are not familiar with the correct term, then how about the more blunt term; "Nudism")?

I'm not calling the people brave as an insult, I'm calling them brave because there's a mean chilly breeze usually blowing inland off the North Sea, it blows into every groove and crevise, hence most people prefer to walk along this beach fully clothed.

The area is well signposted, warning anyone who may be offended by the sight of a fellow human's naked body to stay clear. However the local Birdwatching Club is certainly not offended, their binoculars trained daily on the naked female "birds" that lay or walk about on the beach.

The beach itself is clean and mostly sandy. There is the remains of a couple of World War 2 land-defence bunkers still sited on the beach. Presumably left here by MoD to allow the naturists more privacy incase the "birds and bees" wish to mate!

Go on, get 'em off this summer. It's a great way to get that all over suntan!!!

NETHER SPRING is located in Gleadless Valley three miles South East of Sheffield City Centre.

Originally Nether Spring was a large assortment of garden allotments, however the allotments were neglected for many years and fell into disuse.

In 2004 Sheffield Parks Dept, in conjunction with volunteers from the local community, decided to convert the disused allotment site into a safe play area for children. After having consultations with local tenants it was agreed to join the allotment site to nearby Herdings Wood, thus creating not just a childrens' play area but also a woodland park.

New picnic facilities and seating were placed at different locations around the park, a new footpath was laid to allow people to traverse through the park from Spring Close Dell to Little Wood Lane, a miniture football field was created, this pleasant childrens' facility was given the title; "The Dell at Nether Spring".

Unfortunately, due to lack of funding and maintenance the facility has now fallen into disuse. Children no longer play here and the footpath is a disgrace, it is impossible to walk along it due to potholes caused by severe weather conditions over recent years.

Nether Spring is certainly in urgent need of some tender loving care by conservationists.

If you visit New Bolingbroke today all you will find is nothing but farmland fields, there isn't a dwelling or any other building in sight for miles around.
The name New Bolingbroke hasn't been placed on the map for nothing. Many years ago New Bolingbroke was a small thriving community made up of a post office, public house and a few dwellings occupied by farm workers who worked the land on behalf of the decendents of the Bolingbroke Estate (c 1399).
If you head slightly North North East as you leave New Bolingbroke you will eventually arrive at a place called Old Bolingbroke, at this place there is a ruined Norman Castle which is said to be the former ancestral home of a King of England. Folklore reckons that upon becoming the King he made a Royal Proclamation stating that only his kinship could own lands on the Bolingbroke Estates.
So you see the area on the map called New Bolingbroke is steeped in history as it was once Royal Property, and as far as I know it might still be.
If you're interested in land and family history New Bolingbroke is worth a look up in your history library.

LINCOLN CATHEDRAL is without any doubt the best Cathedral in middle and Northern England. It's towers stand supreme and dominate the surrounding countryside for miles around.
From the outside it looks large, but once you get inside the outside appearance becomes insignificant. The inside is really massive, it's well lit and very spacious, there's banners and Coats of Arms adorning the great walls. Tombs and cryps are plentiful. There is chaples serving our country's Armed Services and other religous organizations.
The Spiritual Feeling you get is overpowering, you sence The Lord Jesus Christ is with you no matter where you wonder inside this great Cathedral.

Lincoln Castle, at Lincoln, is a small Norman ruin. It's interesting for the children as well as adults, you can walk along the wall and view outwards across the City of Lincoln.
Let your imagination play and your children and you could be the Norman soldiers guarding the castle from the Anglo-Saxon peasants, or you could be a Norman Baron dining in the great hall with all the other Lords of the land.
The grounds of the castle are well kept and worthy of respect.

Chester Cathedral is not the best Cathedral I've been in, but having said that, it is still worth a visit.
Inside Chester Cathedral I found it more spacous than most Cathedrals, the pews were well spaced out and there wasn't any tombs to bump in to, so no chance of wakening the dead.
It's downside was it lacked Spiritual Feeling, you know that cold air you sence when you enter a Holy Place. Perhaps it was because the Bishop had forgot to turn off the central heating.

LONDON ZOO, although small it is pleasant and has a fair variety of animals to view. Well worth taking the children, they'll find it an educational experience.