Victoria Quays to Tinsley (Meadowhall shopping centre)

Section 1 of this guide takes you from the centre of Sheffield down the Don Valley to Tinsley, near the meadowhall shopping centre

This section of the river Don is an ideal stretch of river for all types of canoe touring. the "FIVE WEIRS WALK" path runs along the river bank for most of the journey making all but one of the weirs easily portageable for those who do not wish to run them.

The Five Weirs Walk starts at Blonk Street where there is ample parking on the left of picture, There is easy access to the river down a ramp from the path about 50 metres from the road. The path follows the river down to the Victoria Inn where the newly developed Cobweb bridge takes you under the arches to the other side, the path then joins the road for about a mile before rejoining the river at Burton weir (Warren Street)

Burton weir is the second of the five weirs (PORTAGE LEFT), this is where the path rejoins the river after leaving it at the Cobweb bridge and is the recommended start for open boaters, access is about one fifty metres down Warren Street on the right hand side of the road. The path meets the river at the weir where there is a jetty on the up stream side of the weir which gives excellent access to disabled paddlers or anyone wanting to paddle upstream to Walk Mill weir.

Shortly after Burton Weir the river takes you under a road bridge, care should be taken here as the current under the bridge runs diagonally from right to left, pushing you towards the wall of the bridge. More easy paddling follows for the next half a mile until you reach Sanderson Weir. (PORTAGE RIGHT).

After a long easy section in which the path once again leaves the riverside you will come across Brightside Weir, the path rejoins here on the right but cannot be accessed from the river bank as there is a very large wall, the portage left is also a little trick and involves clambering over walls, in lowish water it is possible to clamber down the weir face as all the current goes over the right where the weir is broken

Shortly after Brightside weir the Meadowhall shopping center will come into view, and meadowhall weir is not far after that, PORTAGE ON THE RIGHT where there is a drain outlet about 25 metres before the weir, you will have to walk another fifty metres downstream of the weir to the road bridge to put in again.

This is the last leg of the journey, a short paddle down to and under the tinsley viaduct which carries the M1 motorway. Just after you have passed under the viaduct, PORTAGE RIGHT where there are some large steps up the bank on the right which leads to the canal. You can now paddle back up the canal to where you started.