Tuesday 9 December 2025 - GM Ringway Trail Stage 18 - Irlam to Altrincham

With a bit of rain around, our train journey from Piccadilly to Irlam was delayed, so we stopped for coffee at Piccadilly rather than in the nice café at Irlam station. As a result, the rain had stopped by the time we disembarked from what would be our last train journey on the GM Ringway stages, as all further journeys will be by tram or within walking distance of home.

As can be seen from the murals, Irlam Station is a smart sort of place.

Today it was the core team again - I was joined by Sue, Rick, Paul, Jeanette and Rufus. We all commiserated with Rick following his recent bereavement.

The route started by heading down suburban streets, through small parks, and past playing fields and allotments. Nearing Glazebrook, we crossed a long bridge over the dismantled railway that operated between Glazebrook and Timperley from 1873 to 1964. This is one line that has not been converted to a pathway, though some sections can be walked.

We soon crossed a bridge over Glaze Brook, which was quite full after recent rain. Some of the depleted reservoirs we passed in earlier stages of the walk have now happily been replenished.

After leaving the extensive suburbia of Irlam, we entered a farming area where the winter greens are doing well as a crop.

This is about as squidgy as it has been on any stage of the walk. Our feet stayed dry, though shoes were muddied.

We snatched a shot of Jeremy Vine's bicycle after he nipped into his caravan for a 'pit stop'.

There's a good view from the Warburton Toll Bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal, all the way across to the Peak District, where we followed the Pennine Bridleway on several stages of the walk.

The bridge and roadway have recently been refurbished.

Lots of well watered crops...

As on most stages of the GM Ringway walk, we could look across farmland towards the tall buildings of central Manchester.

It used to cost 12p, taken at a toll booth, to cross the bridge. The booth has gone and £1 is now charged. It has to be paid on-line. The penalty is £30, rising to £100 for charges not paid within 28 days.

Having crossed the bridge, we descended past some pretty cottages before diverting to visit Warburton Old Church.

The church was closed, but Sue managed a shot through a keyhole.

Here are a few words from the Churches Conservation Trust:

The ancient church of St Werburgh is 1,000 years old and is still a secluded place of peace despite its closeness to the M6, The Manchester Ship Canal and the industrial north-west.

Named after a Saxon abbess who became the patron saint of Chester, it is one of only 27 timber-framed churches in England. Inside, rough-hewn timber uprights support the roof beams, gnarled and twisted like the trees they once were.

Fixtures and furnishings show St Werburgh's journey through time, from a twelfth-century stone sarcophagus to the patch of nineteenth-century Minton tiles on the floor, giving you a strong sense of the many generations of ordinary people who have worshipped here and cherished their church.

A couple of benches by the Lych Gate offered an ideal spot for lunch.

Back on the GM Ringway route, we passed some stocks before arriving at St Werburgh's New Church and Warburton Parish Rooms.

 

Across the road - more interesting properties.

Pleasant field paths led to a crossing of the familiar route of the Trans Pennine Trail, our route today for a while being along the Bollin Valley Way.

 

The river was quite full.

An underpass saw us under the Bridgewater Canal, near the place where an embankment collapse has rendered the canal, and the towpath, closed from January 2025 to an estimate of December 2026. You can no longer get onto the towpath here.

Beyond the bridge pictured below, it was alarming to discover the vandalising of a crocus meadow that we've admired for many years. A building project seems to have destroyed that parcel of land.

After passing The Swan With Two Nicks, another crossing of the Bollin before entering the grounds of Dunham Massey Hall.

The path often floods, so it was drier than expected today. We soon reached the Saw Mill, which was previously a Corn Mill and may date back as far as 1616 - the oldest building on the site.

Dusk was imminent, so we marched past the oft-visited hall and gardens and headed down the Main Drive towards Charcoal Road.

After crossing the road, a winding woodland path led us onto the golf course at Dunham Massey, through which we wandered as daylight faded.

 

On reaching the main A56 road, we continued along the pavement as far as St Margaret's church, where Sue is one of the bell ringing team.

A convoluted route then took us into Altrincham via The Narrows, which apparently used to be a 'Coffin Route'. We were surprised that the delights of the Devisdale area had escaped the attention of the GM Ringway route designers.

We were in Altrincham by 4pm, after a 17.5km walk with 120 metres ascent. It had taken us about four and a half hours. Here's the route.

We will return to Altrincham for stage 19  on Thursday 18 December. Note the change from 11am to 10am for starting stages 19 and 20.

Here's the flier:
GM Ringway Trail - Stage 19 - Altrincham to Stretford. Meet at Altrincham Station at 10:00 for this nineteenth 15km stage of the 20 stage circuit of Greater Manchester.
Return home by Metrolink from Stretford.