Where are we? Local Landmarks and Features Our railway viaduct is very prominent and part of the Penistone 'brand', if I might be so vulgar, and a matter of local pride. In the town, you will find old red pillarboxes (for posting letters) and old telephone boxes. There was a fine stone-built bus shelter by the church but this was replaced with a plastic one, courtesy of Sheffield Transport (who put 'brand' before utility). Being on the edge of the Pennine hills, our terrain is undulating, flattening out towards the north and east. To the south is a great unspoilt ridge gently rising to 1100 feet a.s.l., between the rivers Don and Little Don (or Porter). The River Don has its source on the moors a few miles to our west and flows via Penistone, Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster to join the river Ouse at Goole, thence it continues to the North Sea, covering about 70 miles in all. Beyond the southern ridge are reservoirs, the bleak grouse moors of Derbyshire and the Peak District National Park, which are not spoilt by development or wind turbines. A few miles further south is Edale, the original 'Gateway to the Pennines'. This is the natural start of the Pennine Way, a great 250-mile walking trail, heading north over the 'backbone of England' (a name which doesn't do Birmingham any favours) - the Pennine hills. Local Pride Housing has vastly expanded over the last quarter century, yet the setting is rural with green fields only a short walk away. Many people who were born here have never moved away - and don't intend to. There is a local pride in Penistone but also a few fears about changes brought from the great housing expansion of recent years and a planned town centre refurbishment which might well be out of keeping with the character of our town. If you use Google Earth, you will see Penistone just as it was in the summer of 2003. Type 'Penistone UK' in the search box. Since 2003 most of the large factory area has been demolished and is now being replaced by another new housing estate. There are other significant areas of new housing which are not yet displayed in G.E. |
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Scattered around our hillsides are rectangular fields separated by dark drystone walls and punctuated with centuries-old farm buildings and grazing farm animals. Stone horse-troughs and milestones echo earlier times. Scenes from BBC tv's long-running comedy, 'Last of the Summer Wine' has similarities with Penistone's terrain and people.
Visiting Penistone
Penistone has easy road access to the M1 motorway, which runs from London (somewhere in the south) to north of us, beyond Leeds. The busy A628 runs from Barnsley to Manchester via Penistone and the A629 runs from Sheffield to Huddersfield via Penistone. The busy A616 ('Stocksbridge Bypass') is to our south, supplying traffic from Manchester to the M1. There have been many fatalities on this 40mph road, through dangerous driving.
The nearest airport is near Manchester, with good road access and trains every hour to/from Huddersfield and to/from Penistone every hour during the day. Allow extra train travel time for very slow ticket queues at Huddersfield Station (up to 20min wait). Bus services are in decline and infrequent. Local mini-busses and taxis make up the difference.
Whilst road access is usually easy, car parks are very busy on Thursday Market Days and Saturdays (locals should walk it anyway). On busy days, use the railway station or Town Hall's free car park. Farmers' Markets are on the 2nd Sat. of each month. Have a look at the street plan for more information on parking, services and other facilities.
Distances in miles Latitude - 53º 31' N |
Public Transport
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