Sheffield in BBC Vote Appeal

© Nick Brown

Which is the best city in Britain for countryside lovers? The BBC's Countryfile Magazine is running an online poll. It currently looks like a two horse race between Edinburgh and Sheffield, and the South Yorkshire climber's mecca is after your vote. They've got in touch with us to explain why.

Walking to Burbage along a closed Ringinglow Road  © Nick Brown
Walking to Burbage along a closed Ringinglow Road
© Nick Brown

Perhaps it's close to a beach; better still it may have easy access to proper countryside, or loads of climbing walls and parks? The list is confined to cities with a population of 300,000 or more - otherwise Inverness would win hands down. 

As for Sheffield? The people behind its current bid for 'outdoor capital city' status (the cause of a recent spat with Lochaber - see UKH news here) think a Countryfile endorsement would boost their campaign. 

'This would be good publicity for the city and would help build on the recent work illustrating the importance of Sheffield’s outdoor economy' said Maxine Gregory of Sheffield Hallam University, who has been undertaking work on behalf of Sheffield City Council to assess the impact of Sheffield's outdoor economy and the importance of outdoor recreation in the city. 

'[It] would help promote our status as UK Outdoor Capital City. The city has won the right to host two major ‘outdoor’ conferences next year and is currently developing an outdoor economy strategy so we need to continue to enhance the profile of Sheffield’s Great Outdoors.'

With so much of the Peak District National Park on its doorstep - even within official city limits - Sheffield clearly has a strong case.

But maybe you'd rather root for Birmingham? Or even London? That might not be as loopy as it sounds, at least if you asked the man behind a campaign to get the UK capital declared the world's first urban National Park (see interview here). Bigging up your city's outdoor credentials is clearly a thing at the moment.

To cast a vote (one vote per IP address) go to the BBC Countryfile website here.


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