Shireoaks - Where to go and how to get there

Trains serving Shireoaks operate between Lincoln and Sheffield and Sheffield and Cleethorpes.

Shireoaks station is adjacent to the Chesterfield canal completed in 1777 and ran from Chesterfield through Worksop and Retford to join the river Trent at West Stockwith. It remained in commercial use to 1949 carrying coal, stone,agricultural products and other goods.

Perhaps the most famous cargo carried on the canal was quarried stone for the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in the 1830s.

Turn right out of the station and right again to walk the tow path to Kiveton or left to walk the tow path past the marina to Worksop.

Shireoaks village has a long terrace of miners cottages built by the Duke of Northumberland in 1864 to serve the coal mine on land adjacent to the marina, where barges were loaded with coal to be sent down the canal to the River Trent.

For information about the canal visit the Chestefield Canal Trust.

The River Ryton runs at the far end of the village street.

Shireoaks Pit Top

Following the closure of Shireoaks Colliery, the tip was transformed into woodland and grassland, and a network of public paths was created. Part of the site was designated as a Local Wildlife Site in 2012. From the top there are unrivalled views of Sherwood Forest, the Trent valley and into Derbyshire.

The Pit Top is reached by turning right out of the station, cross  the road, and descending on to the canal towpath. At Shireoaks Middle Lock turn left on to National Cycleway No .6 then right into Marina Drive.The Pit Top is reached by turning left into Woodlands and following the path to a signpost pointing right to the viewing area.

Walk from Shireoaks to Worksop and pass the Giant's Staircase on the Chesterfield Canal. There are 23 locks up from Boundary Lock through the Turnerwood and Thorpe flights, with more in a mile than any other canal in England. It was named the Giant’s Staircase in Victorian times when it was a tourist attraction. Scenery hereabouts is a delight. This is just one of 11 Stagecoach Bus Walks