INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH
A short drive from Templeborough towards Sheffield brings us to Kelham Island and another celebration of the development of industrial power. Here the centrepiece is the River Don plate-rolling machine. Built in 1913 with an output of 12,000 horsepower, it is the most powerful steam engine in Europe. Pungent odours of hot oil, metal, steam and smoke assault the nostrils, but the real impact is not so much sensory as emotional as you survey this deity of industrial engineering and colossal power. Then the nearby Shepherd Wheel, thought to date from 1600, adds a reminder that water-power existed long before the potency of steam was understood.
A family car that's great to drive, Meriva gives a real feeling of confidence behind the wheel as we glide down the A621 to Sheffield's southern outskirts and Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet.
This unique, preserved working community functions as it did more than 200 years ago using water-power to grind scythe blades and other small implements. The children love the Victorian workers' cottages, and Abbeydale's pleasant little café is a good place to reflect for a moment on everything we've learned and where our adventure will take us next.
Sheffield lies just east of the Peak District and southern Pennines, a rugged landscape of great countryside and a complete change of scene from this urban environment. The Peak District also has a series of winding rural roads on which the Meriva remains secure and beautifully balanced even with the car fully loaded.
We leave Sheffield on the A57 towards Glossop, climbing steadily until we’re suddenly in open country and the road swoops and turns.
With 100PS our Meriva 1.7 CDTi has plenty of torque as well as being fuel-efficient, providing an excellent combination of economy and performance – while we again appreciate the all-round view afforded by the Meriva’s high seating position as we cross the Ladybower reservoir. This eight-mile stretch of water flooded a number of communities when it opened – and during World War II it was the scene of much aircraft testing and training (including practice runs for the Dambusters), with the remains of several long-abandoned planes still visible in places along the reservoir’s banks.
Now the A57 starts to climb again as we approach the famous Snake Pass – which at over 500 metres is usually blocked by snow at some point during most winters. At Glossop we turn south through Hayfield to Chapel en le Frith where we leave the main route to follow the winding road to Castleton. The Meriva is in its element here, where once again its high driving position allowed us to see over the characteristic drystone walls of the Peak, while confirming how agile and manoeuvrable it is through tight bends. Now and again, the surface is wet – but the occasional need to brake suddenly in a corner as a sheep of very little brain ambles into the carriageway is dealt with entirely without drama as the Meriva’s electronic stability programme (ESP) intervenes almost imperceptibly, to keep us on our chosen course.