Monday 20 February 2023 - A Bike Ride to Pennington Flash

With Isabella being looked after by her mum on a day off today, Sue joined friends on a shopping trip and I jumped on Stumpy for a ride to Pennington Flash and back, going via the busway to Leigh, and returning via the Leeds and Liverpool and Bridgewater Canal towpaths.

It was an overcast day until the start of my return journey, so the pictures aren't up to much, but here goes:

There's a new building going up on a narrow strip of land next to the canal in Stretford. Probably putting waste land to good use.

The area around the aqueduct over the Manchester Ship Canal, near the Trafford Centre, looks more dilapidated every time I pass by.

Leaving the towpath just after the lighthouse in Monton, I took the loopline route through Roe Green towards Tyldesley. Pleasantly much drier than our visit to run here on New Year's Eve.

Approaching Leigh, the busway makes life easier for those who commute into Manchester.

Beyond Leigh's centre, and it's a short ride along the towpath to the Flash. Near here the Bridgewater Canal morphs into the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. New housing replaces the fields that used to line the towpath. The temporary fencing shown below has been replaced further on by a metal fence with no gates, so the residents have no easy access to the towpath! Amazing...

At the turnaround point - 30km along the 56km route, I found a bench on which to enjoy a drink and a snack. I soon moved on. A brisk, cold, wind was blowing in from the west.

A 'coffee house' - The Hide - is under construction here, finishing touches being applied. This will be a welcome replacement to the tacky kiosk in the car park.

Back on the canal towpath, all was quiet and the sun came out.

The sun soon went away again, as I pedaled slowly home, this being my longest ride on the Specialised Stumpjumper (Stumpy) since May 2022.

It's a good route - 56km in 4 hours or so.