South Yorkshire travel guide

South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of Northern England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire to the east, Nottinghamshire to the south-east, and Derbyshire to the south and west.

Yorkshire was the largest county in England, so in Danelaw times from the 9th century it was divided into thirds - in Old Norse Þriðungr hence "ridings". These were the North, East and West Riding, with the city of York a sort of Capital District of its own. The division was formalised into counties in 1889. There never was a "South Riding" - most of the present area was in West. It became heavily industrialised from the 18th century through iron ore and rich seams of coal, the ingredients for forging steel.

Getting in

Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) closed in Nov 2022. Manchester Airport (MAN) has global connections, competitive fares, and is only 80-90 min from Sheffield and Doncaster by hourly direct train. You never fly between London and South Yorkshire, it's too close. Flying into the London airports involves travelling into central London then taking the train north, but that's a quick way to Doncaster. East Midlands Airport (EMA) near Nottingham has flights from across western Europe and the Med.

Getting around

Walk or use bus within each town. Between towns there are buses but train is much quicker, with a frequent service. Trams link Sheffield and Rotherham.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.