[Closed] Bridgewater Canal Salford Q to the South

Absolutely no use to you, but it's lovely between about altrincham and lymm.  Great pubs along the way too.

I'm too worried about hitting bentleys and bankers out there

Wags mate, bankers canny afford Lymm.

I used to cycle that stretch occasionally when I lived in Sale.  It's entirely do-able.

It gets quite muddy at times, and your biggest hazard is likely to be riding over fishing rods or joggers with earphones in.

As said above, bits of it are quite nice.  You may also get occasional sprint training in around Stretford

It's absolutely fine. No muddy sections at all these days just a few short cobbled sections down as far as the the Transpennine Trail which you can then pick up for your run through to Stockport, although the TPT itself can get a bit muddy but they seem to be working on sections of that too currently. It can get quite busy at certain times with walkers, school kids etc but generally it's a much nicer way of getting out of Salford/Manchester than using the roads. Beyond Altrincham the surfaced sections revert to muddy canal paths through Dunham Massey etc.

I use it two or three times a week, as does Scaled on here. I've never had a single problem myself but there was a story in the local news last week where a cyclist was pushed in the canal on his late evening commute home on the stretford section.

I've only just woken up, what's the plan?

Salford to Stockport? If so

Get on the Bridgewater to the trans Pennine going east as far as Northenden, cut out the horrible windy sandy bit of the TPT. Back on it for the bit to Stockport.

I'll put a route up later.

I'm off ncn 62 I  Heaton mersey so currently tramming it to East didsbury

As "Scaled" said, blast down to the Crusing Club in sale and then jump on the TPT. From Salford Quays to the crusing club is a good surface. One little bridge with some steps on it, but the rest is hard pack with the odd patch of loose gravel. I do it regularly on my road bike but down to Timperley.

Not been on the TPT for years, so i've no idea what the surface of that is like but it used to be full of puddles in winter

NCN 62 is the TPT round there.

I was chatting shite earlier the bit you want to avoid is the bit between the kingsway and Northenden. It might be a bit better now but having ridden down there twice this winter I have a complete mental block about that bit of the route.

https://www.strava.com/routes/12766863 should see you with a nice enough route, the bit rounds Parrs wood isn't too bad at all, just a short stretch of slow moving traffic.

Spot on!!  Work is next to Burnage Rugby Club, didn't see it before I left so ended up following town/uni signs

https://www.strava.com/activities/1518306204

Very scenic on a sunny day!!

If you like that, check this option

https://www.strava.com/activities/1517587604/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-US&v=1524124283

Hmm

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(bit of road work to marple, Peak Forest Canal up to portland basin, ashton canal into the centre of town then you'd have a short blast down the bridgewater to salford.  Was bloody lovely this morning

Cheers

Need to get those uploaded onto the garmin, got a wrong turn this morning and ended up on the Choloton stretch off the Mersey and the slightly infuriating run past the posh school who don't care about parking but even with that it's on par with the tram times so all good. Well I assume on the way back up there all the people coming out of town will ride on the left (water side) of the tow path

Just had a look at your route, nearly there... Don't follow the signs to the trans pennine  where I've put the X, if you ride down the other side of Chorlton Brook you don't need to get off the bike to go through the gates, then you take the next bridge on the right, straight through the car park and onto a hard pack trail that takes you back to the mersey at Jacksons Boat (there's a bike shop there that's open in the summer as well if you end up in a muddle)

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Awesome!! Will give that a go, tempted by your longer version home this afternoon but will see how the legs recover!!

A lot of variations possible it seems I'd be tempted to throw in BWC - Sale waterpark/Ivy Green then pop through Chorlton to drop onto the Fallowfield Loop (loooong stretch of uninterrupted path to up your avg speed), jib off through Highfield Park, a mile or so of estate to fall into the Reddish Vale and follow the River Tame - though I don't know if that would force you through Stocky town before you hit the Mersey. Save it for the way home and enjoy an overpriced craft ale in Chorlton, darling.

Cheers Scaled just had a very enjoyable run out to Marple and back, slight mistake where I missed the canal in Marple and had to come back up form the station but apart from that all good, I need to work out the Picadilly to Deansgate/Bridgewater bit in my head though!!

"  I need to work out the Picadilly to Deansgate/Bridgewater bit in my head though!!"

Don't ask him. We regularly get lost on that bit ourselves.

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Glad you enjoyed it! It's a bloody lovely route in the early morning. Ad bregante says, the town end is a bit of a nightmare

I did the bit between the A34 and Northenden today, fair to say it's dried out a bit

https://www.strava.com/segments/13229352?filter=overall