Friday 11 April 2025 - A Bike Ride around Manchester

It was a 9am start from Timperley Bridge, where nobody else turned up despite the continuing sunshine, and a pause more or less opposite our house, for a first photo of the glassy canal.

I took a familiar route to Didsbury, sticking to the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) - picked up in Stretford -  and soon passing through Chorlton Ees on the way to Jackson's Boat Bridge.

The River Mersey is low at present thanks to a lack of rain, but debris in trees the height of the upper embankment are a reminder of January storms. 

Workmen were removing debris that was caught in the weir at Northenden.

With the lower path being impassable by bike in places of deep sand, I took the narrow path on the high embankment bordering the golf course. Banks of Dandelions glittered beside the river.

At Fletcher Moss the TPT heads into Didsbury where the well signed route passes beside the Metrolink railway for a little way to its terminus at East Didsbury station.

The TPT then takes to a fairly new path near the River Mersey, with lots of freshly spouted Cowslips in evidence.

After this a narrow path beside the M60 motorway leads to a choice of routes. On this occasion I chose to avoid the fleshpots of Stockport Town Centre and headed past the Decathlon store and to the north of the centre.

I fumbled my way past Heaton Norris and soon reached the comfort of the old railway lines in Reddish Vale. Time for a break after an hour and a half in the saddle.

After pausing at the Visitor Centre in Reddish Vale, where the café was open today, I continued along the TPT and under the railway viaduct in Reddish. The next two pictures were taken from the same place, in opposite directions.

On leaving the Country Park, the TPT crosses the M60 motorway by way of a bridge that houses an old farm track.

The track emerges into housing at Haughton Green, from which a ginnel leads briefly to more housing and a right turn onto the A6017 main road. After a fast descent to a left hand turn into the woods, the road is left for the remainder of the route apart from a short section in central Manchester.

The TPT now enters Haughton Dale, once a hive of industry, now a Country Park where the path continues beside the River Tame, which feeds into the Mersey in Stockport.

Several weirs remind of an industrial past hereabouts.

After pleasant paths with the occasional bench or picnic table if needed, the TPT rises to reach the Peak Forest Canal. My route leaves the TPT after a bridge across the river and ascends to the canal towpath, leaving the TPT to find a way to Broadbottom and beyond.

The towpath switches banks a couple of times as it makes its way past Hyde and Dukinfield to reach a junction in Ashton-under-Lyne.

A left turn at the junction ahead takes us onto the Ashton Canal.

There's a café and museum across the basin from this junction. I didn't visit on this occasion, having plenty of refreshments and a break from the saddle nearby after three hours.

The Ashton Canal takes us into the centre of Manchester on a route that's familiar, apart from muddling through city centre roads on Whitworth Street where the towpath has been temporarily shut. It's the same route as that taken by the Fallowfield Loopline bike ride.

 

Approaching Manchester, there's also a problem with the towpath near Piccadilly, where I found myself on a bike lane on an unfamiliar street with sculptures.

The rest of the ride passed uneventfully. I stopped by the Merchant's Bridge to finish off my provisions, then pedalled home at a gentle pace along the Bridgewater Canal towpath.

A  'jiggle' at the end took my mileage for the morning up to 60km, and my Garmin gadget optimistically reckoned on 350 metres ascent during the five hour outing that was followed by lunch in the garden at 2pm on a sunny afternoon. Here's my route.

Next bike ride:

Thursday 24 April - A 70km circuit starting at 9:00 from Timperley Bridge. Bridgewater Canal > Pennington Flash > Mucky Mountains Nature Reserve > Sankey Valley > Trans Pennine Trail > Timperley. All welcome.

Thursday 16 January 2025 - The Fallowfield Loopline

We start with a picture from yesterday, when I recommenced bike rides after a two week break due to snow and ice. Sadly, our friend Don didn't wait quite as long and had a black ice adventure that will curtail his activities for six months. Our thoughts are with you Don.

The picture above is near the far point of my 6 mile there and back route that I'm trying to do every day to help my dodgy knee get better. I turn around at the end of the resurfaced section of towpath beyond where the Bay Malton used to ply its trade. Not far beyond this is the breach of the canal due to an inundated conduit that occurred during a recent storm. That section of towpath/canal may be lost for years to come.

Anyway, this morning I decided to brave the frost and any remaining ice and enjoy the 42.5km ride from home that follows the Fallowfield Loop. I've reported on this before, here, so today I'll simply annotate the photos. Slightly more than usual due to me being on my own and therefore not keeping anyone waiting when I stopped.

The towpath near home, with the canal's icy surface glinting in the sunshine.

The Bridge, by Dane Road, with several barges moored beside the pub.

The canal near Stretford, just before my route leaves the towpath.

I stopped here to finish my coffee on the way back.

Woodland in Chorlton Ees Nature Reserve.

Jackson's Boat Bridge, near my old house in Chorltonville.

On Sustrans Route 6 in Fallowfield.

Coffee break after about 20km near Levenshulme.

The Ashton Canal is reached in Audenshaw. There were lots of good reflections today.

The rise out of Manchester on the Loopline is imperceptible, but there are numerous locks on the descent back down to the city centre, which can be speedy, but today caution was needed to avoid any ice (just one small patch on a bridge in the city centre), and despite appearances above, the towpath was full of pedestrians, runners and dog walkers today. Plenty of space for everyone, but progress on a bike was slow if you were to be polite.

More reflections as the city centre is approached.

The towpath tunnels under roads and buildings as it passes through the city centre.

This is before the canal runs next to the River Irwell. Note the nice brick towpath.

A little further on, evidence of the incursion of the River Irwell onto the towpath in recent storms has left a muddy residue. A good hosing down of the bike was needed later.

My last picture was taken at the bridge at Water's Meet, where the branch of the canal pictured leads to the Trafford Centre, Worsley, and our route to RHS Bridgewater and Pennington Flash.

Here's my route - you can make out the slightly bolder lollipop below. It's 42.5km, with about 170 metres ascent, taking me a little under 3 hours today, plus 20 minutes of stops for photos, coffee, etc.

A great way to spent a sunny morning in Manchester. Where were you!?

Thursday 31 October 2024 - The Fallowfield Loopline - A Bike Ride

Despite it being a damp morning, a record number of eight people turned up for this bike ride, which I've done at least four times before (see here), though not recently. That's my excuse for being a bit vague about the route at times. Only a couple of photos were taken on the outward leg as we pressed on through Fallowfield, across the A6 and into Reddish, where a convenient bench marked an opportunity for a coffee break. Sadly only Sue and I had brought such refreshments, but we were able to hand out a few chocolate digestives.

By the time we reached Audenshaw, on the outskirts of Ashton-Under-Lyne, we had left the loopline and hit the cobbles of the Ashton Canal. More photos could now be taken, as the cobbled areas next to the locks weren't really suited to those with skinny tyres.

We eventually made it for a long coffee break/chat at the Velodrome's café. All very civilised.

So we had plenty of energy for the ride home. Here I'm with Sue and Jenny, waiting for others to negotiate a steep descent in the background.

Soon after this, we came to a place where the towpath was closed, and we had to use roads to get through Piccadilly (where the towpath is good fun when open), and soon after we had regained the towpath another closed section sent us down Whitworth Street. Anyway, we made our way to the Castlefield Basin and crossed the distinctive bridge that leads to our route home.

I just managed to catch some of the laggards as they crossed over the bridge.

A clear run saw us regrouping at the Throstle Nest Bridge, from where the others can be seen on the towpath as I look back towards town.

Jenny took a picture of us on the top.

Further on, we all reached the bridge at Waters Meet without incident.

 

We regrouped, and I took my final picture of the day.

We then headed on to various points at which we left the towpath to arrive at our various homes. Richard and Jenny would be first to peel off, but they got stranded at Waters Meet thanks to a thorn in Richard's tyre. Never mind, they got home, like the rest of us, in time for a slightly late lunch.

I recorded 42km, with about 150 metres ascent, in around 4 hours, quite a bit of which was spent in the velodrome café.

A lovely outing despite a bit of damp in the air. Thanks everyone for your company. The next ride is on Thursday 14 November - Laureen's Ride - a convoluted route in Cheshire of up to 60km, starting from Timperley Bridge at 9.30am or the centre of Hale at 9.45. Café en route. We will probably do just about 30km. 

There's a walk up Shutlingsloe on Tuesday (5 November). Details here.