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- Sheffield
How walkable is Sheffield?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Sheffield has a walkability score of 75 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It is the joint 13th most walkable of the 20 cities ranked in the United Kingdom, with 2 others.
What's within walking distance of the centre
2,290 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Sheffield. The nearest grocery is about 3 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, schools and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- Waitrose and Partners, 5 min
- Yafai and Sons International Foods, 6 min
Restaurants & bars
- Unit, 3 min
- Almadina Takeaway, 3 min
Shopping
- Frame It Sheffield, 3 min
- Dahab Shiil, 4 min
Coffee
- Anjelicas tea rooms, 7 min
- Caffe Massarella, 8 min
Banks
- RBS, 7 min
- NatWest, 7 min
Parks
- Gell Street Park, 5 min
- Devonshire Green, 6 min
Schools
- Broomhall Under 3s, 6 min
- Springfield Primary School, 6 min
Books & libraries
- Robin's Nest Comics, 8 min
- Forbidden Planet International, 8 min
Culture & entertainment
- The Leadmill, 8 min
- CosyJoes, 9 min
Measured from the centre at 53.3752, -1.4810, the point near Sheffield's middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the centre there are about 188 street intersections per km², and blocks average 66 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Sheffield's score of 75 is the average across the 5 km around its centre, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 97 within 1 km of the centre, 85 from 1 to 3 km out and 66 from 3 to 5 km out. 11 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 70% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the centre, so check a specific address on the map.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Sheffield. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the centre. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | 97 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 97 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 85 | 96% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 66 | 50% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Leeds, United Kingdom | 46 km | 80 |
| Bradford, United Kingdom | 49 km | 75 |
| Nottingham, United Kingdom | 52 km | 81 |
| Manchester, United Kingdom | 52 km | 86 |
| Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom | 85 km | 74 |
Questions about walking in Sheffield
Is Sheffield a walkable city?
Around its centre, yes. Sheffield has a walkability score of 75 out of 100 across the 5 km around its centre, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. Its centre scores 97. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks joint 13th of 20 cities in the United Kingdom and joint 201st of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in the United Kingdom?
London is the most walkable of the 20 cities ranked in the United Kingdom, with a score of 98. Sheffield ranks joint 13th with 75.
How does Sheffield compare with nearby cities?
Sheffield is at most as walkable as its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 75, against Leeds (80, 46 km away), Bradford (75, 49 km away) and Nottingham (81, 52 km away).
Which part of Sheffield is most walkable?
Sheffield's most walkable area is its centre, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 97. Walkability averages 97 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the north-east (averaging 85) and falls most to the west (54).
How is Sheffield's walkability score calculated?
For Sheffield it is the average of 80 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 56 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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