Medley: parkrun, jazz, bike ride to Moore

Reflections on our Trossachs trip. (That's my type of jigsaw!)

After spending Friday with Isabella, Sue and I assembled on Saturday morning for Wythenshawe parkrun #606. It went well for most of us. Full results are here. There were only 266 bar code tokens to sort, and with Jane's help we did that so quickly, despite the tokens being damp from the drizzle, that it didn't warrant any volunteer credits.

Monday lunchtime found us at Eagley Jazz Club for their first ever lunchtime performance. The Chicago Teddy Bears were excellent, though the line-up had to be adjusted to compensate for the band members who still hold down daytime jobs.

Just for the record, this is how the gig was advertised:

Our doors will be open from 11am and the band will play 12 noon to 1pm, followed by a 45-minute interval when pasties (meat & potato or cheese), peas and red cabbage will be available for you to purchase for £3.  The bar will be open as usual.  We will also have the raffle (all prize donations will be welcomed!) and a sweet or 2 to round off the interval!   

The second half will commence at 1.45pm to 2.45pm, giving you time to avoid the school traffic and rush hour.   

The lineup of the Chicago Teddy Bears is:

Jim Lucas: Trumpet, Andrew Mackenzie: Trombone, Liam Byrne: Reeds, Dean Revera: Bass (absent today), Brian Singleton: Drums, Rae Owens: Banjo, guitar (Bass today) and band leader, plus today only - Ian McCann on guitar and banjo. A superb lineup; this event promises to be a real ''cracker''!

The committee was hoping for an audience of 40. The turnout was 74, so the whole event was a great success.

Tuesday was a (programmed) bike ride to Moore and back. On another cool morning, nobody turned up to accompany me on this ride over familiar ground. It was a nice ride, hampered only by a collapsing seat post, and despite having a bag of tools and tubes I didn't have the tape that would have eased the problem. (So I have one bike with a loose seat post whilst the seat post on my other bike is jammed solid!)

The ride starts along the towpath to the end of the surfaced section shortly beyond the site of the Bay Malton. It's muddy beyond this and the towpath is closed due to the damage caused by an inundated culvert in storms earier this year.

Looking back along the canal towards Altrincham

When I started using this route a few years ago, the path shown below, linking the towpath with the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) didn't exist. You cycled through the woodland on the left, and you still can do that, but this (sometimes boggy) field path has far fewer tree routes to contend with.

Soon the TPT route along the old railway line is reached. It's followed all the way to beyond Lymm, though currently one section is closed due to it being resurfaced.

After crossing under the canal in Lymm, my route follows minor roads and tracks, eventually crossing back over the canal in Grappenhall, where I've taken the next picture from the canal bridge.

After crossing and re-crossing the towpath yet again, I eventually arrive at Moore. The 'Phoenix Park' route (also here) is left here in favour of a path near the Ship Canal that eventually joins the TPT to go through Warrington to Thelwall, where the next picture was taken. The bridge on the left houses the old railway line that the TPT joins a little further on. There's a ruin of a building on the right on the banks of the Ship Canal that had me wondering as to its use.

Anyway, the resurfacing of the trail from Warrington to beyond Lymm has drastiically sanitised this section of the TPT. The mountain bike isn't really needed (but it's all I've got).

The TPT is then followed more or less as per the outward route, returning home along the towpath on which I started out at 9:30.

Today's ride was 30 miles (47km), taking a little over three and a half hours at a gentle pace with just 150 metres of gentle ascents. Always a pleasant way of getting a bit of exercise, and home by lunchtime.

Wednesday 9 October 2024 - A Phoenix Park Circuit

I'd advertised this ride, so felt obliged to do it despite rain and no other takers apart from Sue, who joined me for a 22km outing to Lymm before turning back. She took the above photo before retreating to Timperley

I left the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) here, taking back roads and tracks to avoid the angry dog walkers of Lymm, before joining the Bridgewater Canal towpath at Moore. Time for elevenses.

On then to Runcorn and Phoenix Park, where the cafe was well sealed up, as expected.

On rejoining the towpath, autumn colours perhaps disguised the fact that it was still raining, albeit fairly gently, on the warm day, so not really at all less than pleasant.

I chose not to go to Norton Priory, as I think the cafe would have been shut. The North Townfield Bridge was crossed where the towpath was deserted in favour of a series of meadow paths, where I found a bench for another coffee break, to reach the Manchester Ship Canal. That canal was crossed, then the Trans Pennine Trail was joined. After a while, that trail re-crossed the Ship Canal, with the M6 and Thelwall Viaduct in view through the old railway bridge at Latchford.

The TPT then follows the disused railway line all the way to the outskirts of Altrincham. It passes by the Lymm Ranger Centre, where I found another bench on which to enjoy the last of my provisions.

There's a huge information board at the Ranger Centre.

The Bridgewater Canal is rejoined before Seamons Bridge, for the final ride home along the towpath, to conclude this gentle 60km ride with about 250 metres ascent. I was home, and the bike was washed, by around 2:30, after our 9:30 start. Here's the route (click on the image to enlarge it).

Reports on previous similar outings can be found here.

Another Moore Lane Circuit on the bike

The first of a few bike rides, I suspect, as my poorly foot hopefully repairs itself. Today, Alastair joined me for an easy three hour ride on the 'Moore Lane Circuit' roughly as described here and elsewhere.

After some pretty grey days, today turned out to be a beautiful 'blue sky' day. These first two pictures were taken in Grappenhall. I probably have a big library of similar shots!

We stopped for refreshments at Acton Grange Bridge, where a passing barge added colour to the scene.

The dappled sunlight through the trees that line the Trans Pennine Trail beyond Thelwall is often delightful, and that was the case today.

Alastair peeled off at the site of the Bay Malton and I continued home on a TPT based route, unfortunately crashing into another rider when joining the canal towpath near Walton Road. Oops!

The 51 km ride took me about three and a half hours, plus a few minutes to hose down the freshly serviced Stumpjumper bike.

Monday 31 August 2020 - A Bike Ride to Moore Lane and back

 

It was the last day of summer, and a gorgeous one in Cheshire, so I decided on a longer ride than usual, perhaps returning to the Monday morning bike ride routine, albeit on my own today.

 

I pedalled along the Bridgewater Canal towpath to the closed Bay Malton, then along the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT), where I noticed my bike's odometer looked as if it was about to return to zero. It's taken me from October 2003 to clock up 10,000 miles on this bike, having only done about 2,000 on it in the previous 13 years. I'm almost up to 1,000 already this year, which will be the highest usage of the bike. Thank Lockdown for that. The odometer actually changed to 10,000, with no decimal place, so unless I can zero it, I'm now recording the distance in round miles on this gadget.

 

It's always a pleasure to travel through the tree tunnels and dappled sunlight along the TPT. We are so fortunate that some of the disused railway lines in the area have been made into green corridors open to the public.

 

 

Two adjacent pubs in Grappenhall have both re-opened, the Parr Arms, next to the 'Cheshire Cat' church, and the Ram's Head Inn. Well done them, and what a glorious day. It was still early, but there were plenty of people about and no doubt both pubs would be busy later.

 

 

 

Next to the Ram's Head, 'DEV's house is covered in neatly manicured ivy.

 

 

I've done a very similar ride before, with Paul and Jeanette, (see here), and I think the top picture in that posting may have been taken along the same track leading to Hillfoot Farm as this next picture. What a contrast between April and August! 

 

 

I'd planned to briefly re-join the towpath at Acton Grange Bridge, but there's a big sign banning cyclists from the towpath. Previously I've ignored these signs  as I'm courteous to other users and don't damage the surface, but since Lockdown I've encountered opposition and abuse in the Lymm area, so I gave that route a miss and cycled around the road to Moore Lane.

 

One day the Bridgewater Way may be completed. In the meantime we will continue to have to use an 8 km section of the TPT both there and back, on this ride, and I will need to recce an alternative route from Appleton Reservoir to Red Brow (via Hatton), for the longer ride we do to Phoenix Park and Norton Grange.*

 

A short way along Moore Lane, the Manchester Ship Canal is crossed, and the journey home starts with a right turn along a good track next to Moore Nature Reserve. A little way along here, a convenient bench offered a good spot for a rest, a cup of tea, and a banana.

 

Soon after that, this route joins the TPT, and follows it all the way to Altrincham recycling depot. It's a lovely path alongside the Ship Canal/River Mersey.

 

 

Eventually the Ship Canal is re-crossed shortly before the disused Warrington and Altrincham Juncion Railway crosses the canal at Latchford Viaduct. 

 

 

Latchford Locks are then reached, opposite which a lane leads up to the track of the disused railway for a gentle pedal all the way back to the Bay Malton in Altrincham.

 

At the end of the railway, the TPT takes quiet roads to the recycling depot, where I left it to return home via Walton Park and a short section of the canal towpath, to make the distance travelled up to exactly 50 km, taking a shade over 3 hours for the basically flat route.
 

 

* I'm not sure about this. The Bridgewater Way website says work has been completed on the section between Waterloo Bridge in Runcorn and Acton Grange Bridge in Moore, so the route via Hatton may not be needed, though I will try it as an alternative.

Monday 21 October 2019 - A Phoenix Park Circuit

 

I've written about this 60 km bike ride several times before - see here for reports, route, and maps.

 

Today, Monday morning bike rides were rekindled when Paul B and I set off at 8.30 from Seamons Moss Bridge. A lovely morning, but with autumn taking hold, gloves were needed. And the route was damp, waterlogged even on the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) where it passes under the M6.

 

We stuck to the TPT and some minor roads to reach Moore, thus avoiding the moronic dog walkers of Lymm.

 

 

The towpath from Moore has no morons, and was a delight, passing swans, a heron, lots of mallard, coots, grey wagtails, a cormorant, carrion crows, jays, and a fleet of Canada geese, as we continued to the turn off to Phoenix Park. Beyond the park, the café at Norton Priory provided its usual generous portions.

 

 

After a leisurely 'two coffees' break, we saddled up for the second half of the ride, initially on an excellent newly surfaced path beside the Bridgewater Canal.

 

 

Today's ride was taken at a leisurely pace, as we both have colds. It was a lovely way to spend a Monday morning, and we were back in time to hose the bikes down before lunch.

Monday 27 May 2019 – The Phoenix Park Circuit, a Bike Ride

Despite a showery start, Bank Holiday Monday saw a record turnout for a Monday morning bike ride, with Sue, Paul, Jeanette, Alastair, Richard and Jan all making it to the rendezvous point at Seamons Moss Bridge, albeit Jan was rather late having got lost in Timperley!

With Alastair and Jan normally having to work on a Monday, and Paul and Jeanette on child minding duty in the future, numbers are set to rapidly diminish.

I think it’s November since we last cycled this route (report here), though a shortened version with a café in Stockton Heath has been ridden a few times – see here.

Sue came as far as Grappenhall, so was included in the photo taken just as we joined the canal briefly in Lymm, where we received abuse from dog walkers despite being extremely courteous and doing no harm to the hard surface of the towpath. It has happened before; apparently there’s a ‘No cycling’ sign.

At Grappenhall we paused to show Jan the Cheshire Cat on St Wilfred’s church – see here, it’s obscured by the lamp in the next picture.

(Click on any picture for a better resolution image or a slideshow.)

 

We seemed to take different routes down the hill to Phoenix Park, and the others found their way to Norton Priory’s tearoom whilst I went up to Halton Castle. I soon returned to the tearoom. The coffee and cake had been demolished!

 

Then we went back to Halton Castle. It looks like I nearly got left behind again, as I seem to be leaving the tearoom without a bike. Duh.

 

The site of Halton Castle, at the top of a nearby hill, is accessed via The Castle Hotel pub, where the landlord unlocks a door to access the castle, which doubles as a beer garden. There are good views from here. Today’s visibility wasn’t brilliant, but we could see the old bridge, and the recently opened bridge that has relieved the traffic problems in the Runcorn area.



The narrowing of the River Mersey at Runcorn has provided a crossing point for centuries, with a regular ferry since the Norman Conquest, formally established in 1178 by John Fitz Richard, the 6th Baron of Halton.

There’s not a lot left of the castle. The information board shown below gives some idea…



For most of its life, the castle was used as a courthouse and prison. In 1737 the gatehouse was replaced by a new courthouse which is now the pub through which you enter the castle grounds.

From the raised area where the castle once stood, St Mary’s Church is overlooked, with the courthouse down to the left in the next picture.

The church dates from 1071, in the time of Nigel, 1st Baron of Halton. I don’t think what you can see now is quite that old! In fact, it’s a 19th century building.

Maybe I’ll visit this place again and delve a bit further into what must be a rich history.
 

 

We enjoyed cokes, etc (thanks Jan) before setting off back home by the usual route via Norton Priory and the Trans Pennine Trail.

As is normal on these rides, Richard got a puncture, Paul mended it, and the used inner tube (thorn removed) was passed to me to add to my collection of spare tubes.

 

Here’s the route I took. Others will be slightly different. My journey was 67 km with about 300 metres ascent, over a period of over 6 hours. We didn’t rush!



No ride for me next Monday as I have to take Dot to the eye hospital, but others are free to arrange something.