The Mi Amigo memorial
A boulder with two bronze plaques and ten scarlet oaks for the bomber crew who died here in 1944, remembered every February.
On 22 February 1944 an American B-17 bomber, shot up by fighters on a raid on Aalborg in Denmark and limping home, dropped out of low cloud above this park and came down at the edge of the lawns, killing all ten men aboard. A boulder with two bronze plaques now stands among ten scarlet oaks planted in 1969, one for each airman, and Sheffield still gathers there every February. In February 2019 the RAF and the US Air Force flew ten aircraft over the park for the elderly man who had tended the stone alone for decades, and thousands turned out. That story, not any building or monument, is what sets Endcliffe apart from most other city parks. Otherwise it is a Victorian neighbourhood park, laid out in 1887 for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, later receiving her obelisk and then her statue from outside the Town Hall in the city centre. The Porter Brook runs through the middle and pauses twice to form ponds thick with ducks and geese, which is where every small child ends up with a bag of corn. The lower half is open grass for footballs and picnic rugs; the upper half is old woodland climbing the valley on earth paths. The cafe opens daily in a building from 1908, with a large playground, an outdoor gym and toilets alongside, so a family can lose a whole day here without wanting for anything. The real reason to come is the walk. From the top of the park the Porter Valley trail keeps climbing through Bingham Park and Whiteley Woods to Shepherd Wheel, a water-powered knife-grinding workshop the museum service opens at weekends, and on to Forge Dam and its pondside cafe. It is about three kilometres one way on nearly level ground, fine for a pushchair when dry and sticky mud after rain, which means most of the winter. In July and August the lawns fill up on weekends and the cafe queue stretches; in winter the sun is gone before four, so start straight after lunch. The park is free and never closes. From the centre it is ten minutes by car or any bus along Ecclesall Road to the Hunter's Bar roundabout; street parking on Rustlings Road is limited and runs out on sunny weekends. A frank word: if you have one day in Sheffield, this is not what you build it around. If you are staying a while with children, or want air after a day of museums, it is the loveliest easy walk in the city.
A boulder with two bronze plaques and ten scarlet oaks for the bomber crew who died here in 1944, remembered every February.
Three kilometres along the brook through woodland to Shepherd Wheel, Forge Dam and its cafe.
Ducks and geese that draw every child, plus a cafe open daily in a 1908 pavilion beside a big playground and toilets.
Rustlings Road, Hunter's Bar, Sheffield S11 7AB
For small children Endcliffe wins: ducks, a big playground, lawns to run on, a cafe and toilets. The Botanical Gardens are prettier and better for adults strolling. Short on time and no children? Choose the Botanical Gardens. With children in summer, give Endcliffe half a day and walk to Forge Dam.
In dry weather yes: the path is nearly level and firm as far as Shepherd Wheel and Forge Dam, with a few gravelly stretches. After rain it turns to heavy mud and a baby carrier beats a pushchair, which is the case most days from November to March.