Urmston to Manchester via Salford Quays (~10 km)

Urmston to Manchester via Salford Quays (~10 km)

This is a fairly direct route on roads that aren't too busy, and cycle ways.  It takes in loads of industrial architecture and ends up at the Museum of Science and Industry.  The route cuts through Trafford Park to get to the Ship Canal, then follows the Canal as it turns into the River Irwell into the City Centre.  If you look at the map, you'll see I took a diversion around Salford Quays / Media City, but you can take a more straight line along the Trafford side of the Ship Canal.  Note the tracking app cut out before the end of this route, so looking at the map below, you have to carry on a little until, as outlined in the text.

Urmston - Trafford Park Station

It's quite frustrating how few good cycle routes there are out of Urmston.  This section isn't perfect but it avoids traffic where possible.

Starting off on Flixton Road, head cross the junction with Croft's Bank Road, and head down Railway Road.  Cross over the footbridge over the railway (dismount of course) and then turn left down Higher Road.  At the end of Higher road, you need to turn left onto Moss Vale Road, then right onto Bradfield Road.  This right turn is a little nasty, so dismount if you're not confident.

Now follow Bradfield Road under the motorway, past a couple of mini-roundabouts until you reach Sevenways Roundabout.   This is quite busy, so depending on the time of day, you might way to dismount.  Take the third exit (Lyndhurst Road) .   After about 100 metres, you'll come to a blocked off exit where the road used to join Park Road.  Dismount here, and cross  at the traffic lights until you join Davyhulme Road.  Follow this road for around 200 metres and turn left down Ennerdale Road.  At the end of this road turn right onto Thirlmere Avenue.  Carry on until you come to the junction with Moss Road, and turn left.  Follow Moss Road past Trafford Park Station, and over the road bridge over the canal.

Trafford Park Station - Imperial War Museum

This wide road bridge used to lead into Trafford Park, but it just ends suddenly.  There's a small gate on the right hand side, which leads to a foot/cycle path the follows the canal.  Carry on here until you come to a wide road.  This is usually pretty traffic free, so turn right and carry on until the cycle path starts on the left hand side.  You'll soon come to a large roundabout where Westinghouse Road joins Europa Way.  Cross over (dismount if it's busy) and follow the cycle path along Europa Way until it stops.  At this point, you need to follow it as it crosses Europa Way, then carry on down the path as it goes down the opposite side of the road.  You'll come to another large roundabout, equipped with Pelican crossings.  Cross the main road, and pick up the cycle path along Warren Bruce Way.  This leads down to Trafford Wharf Road.  Cross this road and turn right onto a narrow cycle path.  After about 100m, you'll arrive at the Imperial War Museum.

Imperial War Museum - Manchester

At this point, I headed over the bridge to Media City and had a bit of a ride around Salford Quays.  If you want to carry straight on to Manchester, then turn left down the side of the Museum, then right along the canalside.  You'll come out on Trafford Wharf Road near Sam Platt's pub.

You need to run parallel to the canal until you reach Trafford Road Bridge.  Turn left and cross the canal, then take the left turn into the car park of the old cinema.  Cross right to the canalside, and there's a gated access to the path along the Ship Canal, as it narrows and turns into the River Irwell.  Follow this path until just after the pathside railings end, and there's a signpost up onto the A6042 Inner Ring Road.  There's a cycle lane on each side, but I'd just dismount and take the footpath under the railway bridge.  You'll soon come to Prince's Bridge.  This is traffic free, and has a slightly winding cycle path leading up to it.  Cross the Irwell on this bridge, until you come to Water Street.  If you look to your right, you'll see the back entrance to the Museum of Science and Industry.  Cross the road and you're there.

Urmston to Trafford Centre

This is an indirect route, but it avoids busy roads.  There are a couple to cross, but most of the cycling is through parks or on quiet roads.

Starting in Eden Square, head down towards Golden Hill Park, either cutting between Sainsbury's and the car park, or heading down Park Road South.  Cut across the park to the junction of Croft's Bank Road and Moorside Road / Winchester Road.  Cross at the Pelican Crossing to the opposite corner, and then head down Winchester Road to the entrance of Davyhulme Park.  Ride across the park until you end up at the opposite corner, on Canterbury Road.  Canterbury Road has a 20mph speed limit which is   generally well observed, so turn right onto this road until you arrive at Hartford Road.  Turn left and ride down here until you meet Lostock Road.

Lostock Road is probably the nastiest road to cross.  There's a Pelican Crossing on the right, so cut up the 'cycle path' (avoiding the parked cars) to that then return on the opposite side to Conway Road.  Turn right down here, and join the path across the fields.  Join Kingsway Park, and head right until you reach Iona Way.  Follow Iona Way as it winds its way alongside the M60.  You'll come up to the footbridge, but rather than carry your bike up the steps, follow the road further on turning right onto Skye Road, and right again onto the extension of Shetland Way.  This leads onto the footbridge which is shared with pedestrians, so go easy.  It's quite steep but if you use your gears there's no need to push.

On the other side, the path crosses one of the Trafford Centre's main roads.  Dismount and cross using the traffic islands.  Then pick up the cycle path and park your bike either in the bike sheds on your left, or on the bike racks outside John Lewis.

Urmston to Birchwood (16km)

This is a useful route if you commute to Birchwood, or Warrington.  It's fairly direct although the section between Hollins Green and Gorse Covert will get your chain quite gritty so regular cleaning will be needed.  On a good day, this takes me around 40 minutes, while the train covers the same distance in about 16 minutes.  If you allow for delays, getting to and from the station etc. it's fairly comparable, plus you get to ride your bike every day.   If the weather takes a turn for the worse during the day, or if you get tired, you can get the train home and join the other bike/train commuters.

In terms of traffic, it's not too bad.  The stretch along the A57 has a cycle path, and there's an alternative route through the park in Birchwood to avoid the road there.  The worst stretch in terms of traffic is probably the Flixton section, which is where most of my scary experiences have taken place.

It's quite a varied route, with suburban roads, fast a-roads, country lanes and farm tracks.  It's my preferred route to Birchwood as it's the most direct, and avoids the A57 west of Hollins Green / Warburton Bridge, which has an alarming number of signs warning you how dangerous the road is.

Section 1: Urmston - Irlam

So start off on Flixton Road heading towards Flixton.  There's a left turn to keep on Flixton road at the junction with Bowfell Road /  Brook Road.  After about 400 metres, turn right onto Irlam Road.  Follow Irlam Road for about 2km, past Wellacre School and go straight through the roundabout at the bottom of the hill.    Carry on to the banks of the ship canal (where the old ferry used to be), and follow it round to the left until you get to the locks.  This section of the road is narrow, and surprisingly busy with other bikes, pedestrians and cars.  There's a footbridge over the locks - once you've crossed it, follow a narrow footpath to the left until you come out at a roundabout on the A57 Cadishead Way.

Section 2: Irlam - Hollins Green

The A57 is busy with cars and HGVs, so I'd advise you to cross over and follow the combined cycle/footpath heading west (towards the railway bridge over the canal).  If you want to go on the road it's a good opportunity to go fast, but be careful where the road narrows as you go under the bridge.  Carry on down the A57 along the canal for about 6km until you cross the River Glaze (or is it the Glaze Brook) and come to a sign saying you're now in Warrington.

If you've been cycling on the road, then take right turn onto  Glazebrook Lane, then immediately left onto the road that runs up to the Black Swan pub.  If you've been on the cycle path, then it rather annoyingly runs out at the Warrington sign, so you're expected to cross the busy road, to get back onto the A57, then turn right as above.  Alternatively wheel your bike for about 100 metres until you come to Glazebrook Lane.  Cross the road 10m up from the traffic lights, and head on down the road towards the Black Swan.

Section 3: Hollins Green - Gorse Covert

This is my favourite section of the ride.  For the next 300 metres or so, you're following the route of the Tour of Great Britain 2012 (albeit in the wrong direction).  Turn right up Dam Lane and head out through open country.  The road climbs slightly then curves downhill past some houses - just bear in mind that people walk along this section of the road so keep your wits about you.

Dam Head Lane will curve off towards the right, but keep straight on down a slightly smaller road, past some houses and farm buildings, until you come to a railway bridge.  Cross over this and head off to the left for 200 metres.  The road carries straight on, and there's a sign saying 'No Access'.  At this point turn left into a bit of a farmyard, then follow it round to the right.  For the next 800 metres, the road has a distinctly agricultural feel to it, with plenty of pot holes to keep you on your toes.  You'll pass through a farmyard where the mud takes on a bovine character until the road turns to the right.    At this point leave the road on the left, and follow the path over a bump and then sharp right until you come to a suburban road.  This section is permanently a morass so you'll get your bike dirty.

Section 4: Gorse Covert - Birchwood

You now need to squeeze through a gate and turn left onto Rockingham Close.  Carry on until you come to a T-junction with Gorse Covert Road and turn left.  After about 400 metres, just before a pelican crossing, turn left down Ashdown Lane.  After about 150 metres turn left down Killingworth Lane.  This section is a bit of a rat-run so don't be surprised to find cars coming at you in the middle of the road as they shave seconds off the school run.  The road then  comes to a t-junction, so turn right until you come to a roundabout.

Go straight through the roundabout onto Ordnance Avenue.  This is a fairly fast road, so if you're nervous try going through the Birchwood Forest Park instead.  After about 700 metres you'll hit another roundabout - go straight through.

From here on, it depends where you want to go.  For Birchwood Boulevard, just follow the road, through another larger roundabout where the A574 Birchwood Way joins the road and you're there.

My route carries on to Fearnhead, over the M6.  You'll pass two bus stops.  At the second one, stop and take the footpath on the right of the road.  This will lead you to a junction where you can either go right under the Birchwood Way (this is an alternative route), left back towards Ordnance Avenue, or take the middle path, which leads over a bridge over the A574.  After this bridge, the track goes through a wooded area until you join a broad path under the A574.  Turn right under the road, then turn left onto the old Warrington Road.  Follow this until it becomes a path over the M6 motorway.  At this point I've arrived at work, but you can carry on down Fearnhead Lane to Warrington.

Alternative Route over Birchwood Way

The route I suggest is a little foot-pathy, which I think is ok here, but if you prefer a slightly longer route on wider tracks/roads, then turn right under Birchwood Way, then join the road north for about 100m.  Turn left (signed for the Police Station) and take the bridge over the A574.  This will join up with Warrington Road.

Urmston to Dunham Park (12 km)

This is mostly off road or on quiet roads, with a couple of stretches that might worry unconfident riders.  These are short stretches and the bikes could be wheeled over these.  Needless to say it's pretty flat, apart from a few bridges, and the ascent / descent into the Mersey Valley.  In terms of scenery it's ok.  I like the bridge over the Mersey, and Dunham village is pretty.  On the negative side there is a waste disposal plant, a sewage farm and distant views of a chemical plant to contend with.

The map of this route starts at Dunham, because I recorded the route on the way home, but I'll describe it from Urmston.  Turn down Meadow Road (opposite "The Nelson").  Carry on past the awkward stile until the track curves to the left.  At this point head off to the right up a fairly steep incline.  When you get to the top, and over another stile head off down the track to the left.  As far as I know, this part is always muddy, except during heatwaves.  You'll arrive (via another stile) at a green footbridge over the Mersey, which crosses parallel to the Carrington Spur Road.  Cross over this, and you should be able to follow signs for the Trans Pennine Cycle route all the way to Sinderland Lane.  The route runs parallel to the spur road, and joins up with Banky Lane.  There's a pelican crossing over the A6144, but apart from that it's pretty traffic free.  Once you're over the A6144, it's off road trails all the way to Sinderland Lane.

Once you arrive at Sinderland Lane, turn right onto it for about 1200 metres and then left after onto Whitehouse Lane & School Lane.  You'll pass over the over the Bridgwater Canal and past Dunham Church until you arrive in Dunham Village.

It's then about 600 metres along Woodhouse Lane until you arrive at the park entrance.  This is a fairly busy road, so you could have cut onto the Bridgwater Canal towpath and headed west.  This brings you out on Woodhouse Lane closer to the Park entrance, but be careful around fishermen, and don't fall in.