Any offroad commuters bolton to manchester

Specifically looking for the chap I was chatting to monday morning, hi vis vest, black scott (iirc) 29er with panniers. Just wondered if he was a forumite.

But if anyone else has knowledge I’m after route advice, currently following the croal/irwell, was pretty good all last year but is suffering a bit from the incessant wet weather, could do with dodging a couple of sections.

bump. This morning’s variant was of mixed success.

I’m currently just going down the A6 from Hunger Hill area. Which way are you going? Got a map?

I’ll try and post a map up later, I’m town centre tho so you’d have to divert into town to get onto my route. off the top of my head you could join the looplines track (old worsley railway line, ncn 55) in little hulton and take that to eccles then liverpool rd into manchester, longer/slower but removes a chunk of busy A road. Actually just thought, I think they are doing works on part of loopline for the leigh/manchester bus corridor* so not sure what state it’s in at the moment.

*no idea if this will be a wonder of modern public transport strategy or a load of old shite no-one uses that removes a nice bit of traffic free cycle route.

As you say, the Loopline is shut until April so looking for alternatives

commute[/url] can email you higher res/1:25,000 versions if you let me know your email address
color coded[/url] for good bits/bad bits

Thanks for that! Makes sense to me. Will have to give it a try. What bike are you using?

Singlespeed cross bike, full mudguards, pretty good for that fairly flat route, going to fit gears after winter to try some riding with proper hills and moorland stuff, do some really big rides home.

Pretty much no off road from Bolton to Manchester at the mo… I used to do the old railway line from Howe Bridge all the way through to Monton and then through Eccles and Traff Park, Stretford, Manchester but most of that has been carved up by the guided bus route or by engineering works in Worsley. Started using the canal towpath in Sept/Oct but that became a quagmire and even part of that was closed off so I gave up and started using the roads again

Donk –

*no idea if this will be a wonder of modern public transport strategy or a load of old shite no-one uses that removes a nice bit of traffic free cycle route.

Nobody even wanted it in the first place – pretty much destroyed 19km of my trail home!
Could you send me a copy of that route you have – could be an interesting route home?? Email in profile, ta

The loop line is only closed around roe green for drainage works.

Nowt to do with the busway.

You can avoid the blockage by leaving the loop line on lumber land and using green leech. Re joining at the bottom of green leach.

surely, by now, you have the correct bike for any trail 😉

email sent spxxky

Nowt to do with the busway.

I’d seen work had started on the busway further upline* assumed the stuff at greenleach was linked but looks like the busway will jump onto the east lancs after ellenbrook.

*use to do that eccles-leigh route as part of a long ride home (used it a few times last year too) I hope the cycle provision along there will be good, I’m dubious tho