Spend a Weekend in Sheffield with me

A little list of activities to do around Sheffield.

With Sheffield hosting two universities, much of the city is orientated around student activities, with many bars, clubs and pubs. However, this is not where everyone would want to spend their time when they visit the city.

Particularly when people came up to stay with me in Sheffield, I would have to think of things to do, outside of these classic student activities. Of course, cafés and brunches were always high on the agenda, but this is a little weekend plan for a weekend stay in Sheffield.

- WEEKEND EXPLORING OUTFIT INSPO -

Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter

- ITINERARY -

1. Saturday morning: Brown's

St Paul's Chambers, hills.hoping.effort [whatthreewords location code].

Begin the weekend with some brekkie in Brown's! I recommend the fruit and yogurt pancakes or the pastry board. Brown's is situated opposite the Peace Gardens and a short walk from the Winter Gardens – one of the city centre’s main attractions.

2. Saturday activity: Chatsworth House

Bakewell, powering.vague.outright.

Chatsworth House is one of the must-see locations nearby Sheffield, and before you even walk into the main grounds, you enter through the restaurant. In the same entrance courtyard, there is also a little converted-carriage café, offering teas, coffees, juice and ice cream. We had the homemade soup from the restaurant, which is made from vegetables that are grown in the gardens of Chatsworth House.

Additionally, we booked a buggy ride around the Chatsworth House gardens, and I highly recommend this. Not only did we see the entire garden this way, but we had an hour long history tour of the gardens and House, which acted as an incredibly interesting counterpart to the beautiful House grounds.

3. Saturday evening: Ego

88 Surrey Street, tubes.actors.ends.

We ventured into the town centre and had dinner in Ego Mediterranean. The location looks into the Winter Gardens, and provides a summer-y vibe. The food is also delicious, with the Greek salad coming with a whole piece of feta that you break up yourself. The Ego cocktails are also slightly larger than most restaurant cocktail sizes, and I highly recommend the Lemon Drop. We followed up the main course with the mini dessert and a [decaffeinated] coffee, which was the perfect amount to finish the meal.

It was the Eurovision final on this evening for us, so we went back to watch the final. However, there are many bars and cocktail bars within the centre, which could be a further evening activity.

4. Sunday morning: Marmadukes

42 Cambridge Street, mime.harsh.stuck

Of course we had to visit my favourite place in Sheffield – Marmadukes. We arrived not long after the café opened for the day, and watched as the fresh pastries and cakes were delivered (which is pictured in the opening image of this blog post). Our party had a teacake, the breakfast sandwich and I had a pain au chocolat, as well as lattes and an iced latte. It is the most relaxed start to the morning and set us up for the day.

5. Sunday activity: Botanical Gardens

Clarkehouse Road, found.chops.dips.

We only had the morning to explore on the Sunday, and so we went to the Botanical Gardens, which are another must-see location in Sheffield. These gardens are just down the road from the accommodation that I stayed in, in my first year of university, and so it felt very nostalgic to go back. The Gardens in Sheffield are beautifully designed, and the Glass Pavilion (pictured) is home to hand-watered plants from all around the world.

6. Sunday lunch: Marmadukes

42 Cambridge Street, mime.harsh.stuck.

After a walk around the botanical gardens, we decided to head back into the town centre and go back to Marmaduke’s for lunch, having seen the toasted sandwiches in the counter earlier that morning. Whilst waiting for the sandwiches, we filled up one of the aesthetic water jugs, as well as having coffees and iced tea. The toasted sandwiches themselves were lovely, and I can highly recommend the pesto, sundried tomato, and mozzarella one.

What would you add into your perfect weekend away?