Sheffield or Blackburn?

you culture vulture you

I don't know Blackburn at all but I do know that Sheffield has a lot going on and plenty to do.

Most of what I know about Sheffield is from people a couple of generations younger than I so it may not be worth much to you.

Try to be sure that the concert venue has actually opened

LOL, Nigel! Hey, I opened the other one, I could open this one if needed. 🤣

As long as no one says something really negative, I think it might be Sheffield (unless tickets disappear before I buy). It looks like Chatsworth House as an easy daytrip by bus, as well.

I'll be back later, but one thing Blackburn will have going for it in 2026 to 2027 is that the Fenland Black Oak Table is coming to the Cathedral for a year in the Spring- https://www.thefenlandblackoakproject.co.uk/

(I don't believe that has been publicly announced yet, but the info came from Lichfield Cathedral where it is now, as another forum member wanted to visit the table there).

I would say Sheffield purely as I know it better but either would be good places to base for a few days.

They are quite different places. Sheffield is a large city whereas blackburn is a medium size town.
Sheffield has more places to eat and drink in it's centre. I'm struggling to think where to eat in blackburn.
Blackburn is easier to reach by road from Manchester. Sheffield involves a picturesque but resting drive over the pennines or a longer motorway journey.
If it was for convenience, I would go for blackburn, but have refreshments on the way, park up for the concert and go after it.
Both have good rail links from Manchester.

Manchester to Sheffield by train is quick and easy and is a very scenic route taking you through the heart of the Peak District.

This should be a question perfect for me to answer - I live in Preston, just 10 miles from Blackburn and am a fan of Blackburn Rovers (I'm off there in an hour or so to watch them play Hollywood FC aka Wrexham. And I was at Sheffield University in the 70s and might still be there if my career had taken a small different turn back then.

Beyond the cathedral and King George's Hall where I assume the concert is, there is not a huge amount of tourist interest in Blackburn. It is however close to the Ribble Valley and the Forest of Bowland, too vastly underrated rural areas. You would really need a car to explore there though.

Sheffield is a much bigger city with more to do as a tourist and is wonderfully located on the edge of the Peak District. Indeed a bit of the National Park is inside the city boundary. And the Peak District is much easier to access by bus and train (into the Hope Valley) than the Ribble Valley and the Forest of Bowland.

If I was coming from afar and looking for somewhere for a few days either would work but Sheffield would be the more obvious choice. In truth going to both would make a fine week's break, even better if the tour schedule would allow you to see your band/artist twice!

I'm guessing The Proclaimers?

Either would suit you, I think. Blackburn is on the edge of some lovely East Lancashire countryside, including Pendle witch country and the Trough of Bowland. Blackburn itself it might be fair to say has not fared well after the loss of most of it's industry, and has effectively reinvented itself twice. I might be inclined to stay in the Clitheroe area rather than Blackburn itself. Clitheroe has decidedly more tourist appeal and some quite good places to eat. You could certainly spend a few days there.
I would love it if having the table there put that part of Lancashire more on the map.
Sheffield as you say is on the edge of the Peak District, which actually extends to within the City limits.
Both have interesting Cathedrals as well which long predate the respective industrial period of the respective cities.

Clitheroe is an excellent suggestion Stuart. It's a small foodie town right in the Ribble Valley and at the end of the train line from Manchester which goes through Blackburn. And from Clitheroe there would be options to take a bus around the area as well.

It looks like Chatsworth House as an easy daytrip by bus, as well.

Nice! I loved Chatsworth House. That's great that you'll be able to go there. And if you like Bakewell tarts, the Bakewell Tart Shop has a location at Chatsworth. It's always a treat to eat one of those! 😊

Ok, you guys are fantastic! (I admit I was hoping for such, though.) Also you are messing with my mind (and thus my trip) with all the good input.

I hadn’t planned on it, since the concert wasn’t the focus of fall travel, but I do have a week I could give this detour. And I am rather persuadable, so now I AM considering both (yes, John, the Proclaimers - ha!) I mean, after going to all the trouble of getting there for one concert, I might as well see both. And compared to U.S. concert ticket prices, even good seats are affordable. Liverpool is basically sold out already, as are other dates.

I would prefer to not have a car this time, although I have driven through (but not stopped in) this area before, so I like the options for train and bus. And even a week wouldn’t be a lot of time but I am liking this plan more and more. Just did a bit more research and the pieces all fit.

Mardee, I feel like we are grand home lovers….. Chatsworth House has been on my maps Saved list for a while, but I just hadn’t made it to this area yet (outside of Manchester itself). I am sure I will send questions your way. :)

Ok, off to grab my tickets!

Mardee, I feel like we are grand home lovers….. Chatsworth House has been on my maps Saved list for a while, but I just hadn’t made it to this area yet (outside of Manchester itself). I am sure I will send questions your way. :)

Ask away. 😊 Before I forget, though, I will tell you now to make sure you have plenty of time at Chatsworth, because you will want it. I'm not typically one that spends hours and hours at a place but I could easily have spent the whole day there. Also make sure you look at the paintings closely. A lot of them were not identified and yet in one room I saw a Rembrandt and later, a John Singer Sargent painting (both unmarked). And in the room with the grand piano, the docent there found out that I played and asked me to sit down and play something, so I did. She may have regretted that request but it was fun. 😂

Just reinforcing what others have said about Sheffield- we had a very nice weekend in summer 2024 where we stayed in Sheffield and visited both Chatsworth House and Stanage Edge (in the Peak District) using public transport. In theory it's very easy to get to both, tho the bus to Chatsworth never arrived so after a lot of waiting we wound up sharing a taxi with the other people waiting for the bus (I don't expect this is a very common occurrence but couldn't say for sure). If you enjoy historic homes this is perhaps the best one in the UK.

Thanks, Cat! No bus could prove interesting - although like you, I probably wouldn’t be the only person waiting. Lol.

I am now committed to a week between the two areas (and two concerts) and will have to figure out logistics after I do a little more researching.

Looking up Stanage Edge made me retrace my driving route in 2022 and apparently I drove right by Clitheroe, a bit north of Blackburn, and right through Preston as I headed to Wales from Fountains Abbey. I remember the scenery but didn’t remember names. So I haven’t been near Sheffield or the Peak District. I am wishing the concert dates were switched…..

Fenland Black Oak Table is coming to the Cathedral for a year in the Spring

Stuart, I have just read up some on this and that is really interesting. It sounds like it should be there when I am.

By the way don't use Google maps to plan buses on the Sheffield side of the Peak District- there is an almighty row (which isn't getting resolved) at the moment between the local bus operators and Google, about out of date and misleading information.
At the start of 2025 one of the big independent operators in the area went bust (having become very unreliable, a quid pro quo of running out of money) and services imploded. Eventually routes got taken over by other companies, but to different timetables.

Local trade has gone sharply up (they know when and where the buses are running), but tourist trade has plummeted due to Google.

Hmmmm, good to know because I do tend to rely on Google Maps.

I read the news today, oh boy. Four thousand holes in Blackburn Lancashire …

Slate, confessing I had to Google that…… 🤣

I'm planning, with Mrs Me, to visit the lovely and unusual 3 spired Lichfield Cathedral next time we're in Staffordshire so we can see the magnificent Fenland Black Oak Table where it is in pride of place.

Thanks for the reminder, Stuart, we watched a long segment on the local news (the fens are nearby us) about the extraction, milling and building. The love that the artisans had for the piece was so easy to see.

It is one of my major desires this spring.

Nigel, The table arrived at Lichfield in May 2025, where I saw it on 17 May in the 1st or 2nd week there (purely by chance- it was an unscheduled visit when I was heading elsewhere, to Hereford I think, and diverted at Crewe due to delays in Wales). It was meant to be there for a year, but according to the Cathedral on 9 December (e-mail correspondence) they believe that it is moving to Blackburn sometime in March- date to be confirmed.

Blackburn themselves say May (no specific date), so there is a degree of confusion. Given that Blackburn have a Turin Shroud Exhibition from 23 March to 12 April I suspect March is optimistic.

Thus time may be of the essence to get to Lichfield.

thx. I tried to put in a call to them but their day ended 25 minutes ago ... just missed

The Blackburn events page January to April has a page at the very end with a link and the date of May for display of the Table

https://blackburncathedral.com/app/uploads/2025/11/Blackburn-Cathedral-Events-Guide-Jan-Apr-2026.pdf

There is an update to the residency of the Fenland table at Lichfield - it is there until at least Easter, as the Lent Course meetings on every Wednesday in Lent (25 February to 1 April) are being held round the table.

Has to be Sheffield...says the Sheffielder

Richard, I succumbed to the temptation and am doing both…..

Great thread to read. I live on the edge of the Trough of Bowland and within a hours drive of Blackburn but have never been to the cathedral. I didn’t know there was so much interesting stuff going on there, I’ll definitely go to see the table. Thanks folks.