Glossop to Manchester commute?

dUNC

Hi guys.

I've recently moved to the Glossop area (Hollingworth) and work at Salford Quays in Manchester. Having previously had a 2 mile cycle to work (in London) I know it's a bit brave to consider cycling 18 miles to work each day, especially with all the hills, but hey, I'm going to give it a try!

Can anyone suggest a good route into Salford Quays? I'm on a Sirrus with 25mm Armadillo tyres, which basically means no dodgy off-road / gravel tracks! I had originally thought there would be some decent routes into town along some quiet roads and some of the cycleways in the area, but the only ones I've found are somewhat inappropriate.

Currently my best plan is to take the A57 to Reddish and pick up the Fallowfield Loop to Chorlton. I haven't actually been on the FF loop though - I understand it's tarmaced but is it an ok surface?

I don't mind traffic that much coming from London but travelling 18 miles each way in heavy traffic is clearly not going to be the best of fun, so if anyone's got any suggestions for routes then I'd very much like to hear them!

(Equally if you've got any suggestions for rides out into the Peaks in the opposite direction I'd very much like to hear them too!)

Thanks in advance.

(ps not expecting to do this every day! May once or twice a week at first, and may take the bike in on the train and cycle home - type thing to build up to it. Would really like to manage 3 days of the full 36 miles in time though!)

janm399

Hi and well done for taking the brave step to get on the bike. I ride from Manchester to Reddish, but in the summer, I usually took the more scenic route and ended up in Newtown, New Mills, Glossop or Macclesfield. Once you get to Stockport, there's really no way of avoiding the traffic. I usually take the A57 from Reddish. It looks scary, but because it is a two lane road, the cars usually give me enough room.
I guess the best way would be to take the A626, then take a right just before Marple Bridge towards Romiley and Bredbury. That will then take you to a nasty roundabout near Stockport. If you're not comfortable riding it, get off and walk -- I'm talking about four lanes of traffic with 2 lanes to join the motorway. Opportunities for some crazy driving are endless! You then have a choice of either taking the A6 to Manchester or going to long way around through Northernden and Didsbury.
All in all, it is not a short commute and I'd really think twice about it when it's dark and rainy, but on a nice dry day, I say go for it!

rampax

Hi
That sounds a pretty serious commute to me too.
I go from Stockport to Salford Quays every day, and its about 10 miles.
I go through Didsbury, then Chorlton, then Seymour Grove and into the Quays.
I have ridden on the Fallowfield Loop, and its a nice smooth tarmacced surface.
Not sure I would fancy riding down there in the dark though, as its PITCH BLACK, and you get a lot of "hoodies" hanging around on it.

Good luck.

mrchrispy

You can buy my house in chorlton then the commute will only be 2 miles again We are looking to move to Horwich (otherside of Manchester to Glossop) and it's going to be a 18 mile commute for me (currently 2.5 miles to Sale).

Its a serious ride, from glossop I'd make my way towards denton and then skirt round the south of the centre wilbraham road shouldnt be to far out of the way. best of luck

mrchrispy

btw - its nice to have a tread that's not about commuting in london

dUNC

Thanks for the replies guys. I've been made well aware that it's not going to be easy going - don't think there's been a person I've told that hasn't raised their eyebrows in that "are you insane?!" type way! But then they did that when I told them I cycled in London, so I don't give too much thought to that!

I'll try the routes you've suggested and hopefully find something that works. You're right though, it's not the distance or the hills (which to be fair aren't very severe in the grand scheme of things!) but rather the dark, wet and cold - I've picked the wrong season to start it, especially with the clocks changing in 2 weeks!

But hey, I figure if you're going to spend an hour and a half commuting, you might as well get something out of it - and it's not like I'll be much inclined to go to the gym or for a cycle getting home at 7.30 anyway!!

Thanks again.

andyp

Do you own a car dUNC? If so, you could split your commute between your bike and the car, i.e. drive in with the bike in the back, leave the car overnight and rode home and back again the next morning then drive home that evening.

dUNC

I do mate, but the missus has decided it's hers and she's going to be driving it to work! To be fair though, there's no parking at my office so I don't think that's an option anyway. I think my best bet along those lines is to take the train in part of the way and cycle the rest, which would work - I've seen plenty people taking their bikes on the train so it's not the nightmare / impossibility that it would be in London.

Mossrider

Congratulations on escaping London - you're going to have some unbelievable riding around Glossop and the Yorks / Derbys area (I've done both and I'm glad to be back). Not sure of your best route in but, as you say - try it. I work in North Manchester and have family in North Derbyshire and so I'm very familiar with the traffic bottleneck that is the end of the M67; you are probably going to be faster on the bike! My commute is a very hilly 57miles return so I only cycle it once a week (occasionally tempted to twice), you will soon get used to the distance after the first few times (and I feel really alive after I've got in - far more so than when I've driven, lets just hope the mad motorists and the pothole gremlins that are endemic to Oldham allow me to keep feeling that way!) Good luck!

fossyant

Your most direct route is to take the main road towards Hyde and Denton and then down Hyde Road - it's not too bad a road, just a bit busy from Denton into Manchester. The A6 is awful. You could also try coming in via Ashton Old / New roads as well.

I used to commute on the A6 some years back, but had a few nasty incidents, so would avoid it - lots of traffic lights, lane jostling etc !!

janm399

I agree with fossyant, A6 is *evil* -- Hyde Road looks busy, but there are two straight lanes of traffic and not too many lights. Once you pass the Alan Turing way, you'll get a nice bus lane. The buses there seem to be particularly good, almost always going to the inside lane to pass a cyclist.

Flycatcher

I would consider coming up past the Gun Inn and turning towards Portland Basin at Ashton Under Lyne via Stalybridge and going along Ashton Old Road into Manchester and onto the Quays. Fallowfield seems a bit out of the way to me.

People in Stockport just drive round all day to create the world's busiest town so avoid A6 and Stockport altogether. It's too narrow anyway although I sometime cycle into Stockport which would be the opposite direction to you (I do Oldham to Stockport) if I get bored with my usual route. The M67 onto the A57 is an awful (nore to tail) journey, you're best off leaving the car with your good lady and taking the train on the days you don't cycle.

It is a hilly commute as you're probably are aware but that's Glossop, lovely village, lovely big hills!

Good luck.

Small Fish

Well... I don't know about geting from Glossop to Reddish but assuming the whole route makes sense (and Stockport takes you too far south I'd have thought) ithe Fallowfield Loop is a surprisingly pleasant ride.

Yes it has the odd patch of broken glass and you see the odd hoodie but by and large it's populated by dog walkers and cyclists and you can keep up a reasonable average speed. A bell is useful to let people know you're coming through, there's a few metal barriers that you have to slow down to negotiate round, it's a bit complicated the first time you go past Sainsbury's in Fallowfield, and it kind of dumps you in an odd place in Chorlton... But all that's well worth it for several smooth flat traffic free miles. Salford Quays is easy from Chorlton - Seymour Grove as mentioned - but it's hard to avoid the massive A56 roundabout without making a big detour.

(Disclaimer - I've never ridden it in the dark - I certainly wouldn't do it late at night but I'd have thought it would be OK at commute time!)

dUNC

Well, tried it for the first time today and all I can say is wow!! I literally got to work feeling euphoric after such a lovely and generally stress free ride - I used to be more stressed with my 2 mile commute in London!!

The route I took was the A57 through to Denton (with a little detour via Ashworth Lane / Underworth Road to cut out the roundabout at the end of the M67), then take a left onto Windmill Lane to pick up Longford Road and then the Fallowfield Loop, and all I can say is wow (again!)! Ok, it's day 1, so I shouldn't get too carried away, but what an absolutely fantastic cycle facility! 8 miles of good tarmac, traffic and (largely) people free. Ye, occasional barriers, but no biggie.

When I popped up in Fallowfield I was so chuffed (I went to uni in Manchester and spent a LOT of time in bars in the area )! Then pick it up again off out to Chorlton. Ye, it brings you out at a funny bit, but easy enough once you get your bearings and it's a relatively straightforward ride into Salford Quays from there, going right under Old Trafford as well.

Seriously I was so chuffed with it, don't even feel that knackered, and the Fallowfield Loop is just inspired! Such a shame that other similarly disused lines across the country can't be put to such good use. Just hope the state of repair is kept up.

Now, to be fair it's one thing leaving in the dark and arriving in the sun, with no rain and little wind, and mostly downhill. Going back with it getting darker, along that unlit path, and then a lot of uphill, well, let's just say I doubt I'll be feeling so happy at the other end! But I'm still amazed it's so doable and so happy it's worked out so well!

(I'll probably be on here in a right grump tomorrow after a shocking ride home!)

Thanks all!

Mog Uk

Nice one, sounds like a great ride to start the day....