routes between Manchester Piccadilly and Salford Quays

rampax

Hi
I am thinking of riding my Brompton from Manchester Picadilly Train station, to my work in Salford Quays.
However, I defo do not want to ride on the A56, as that section is like a motorway.
I have noiced there are several paths running down the sides of canals/rivers around there. Does anybody know these secret routes?
I have looked on satellite photography sites, but cannot get the level of detail needed.

Cheers.

el_presidente

the one-way systems are a little confusing but from memory you should be able to go doen the back streets to Castlefield (past the old Hacienda) then along the canal towpath past Old Trafford

I'll try & map it if I get a minute

el_presidente

Try this

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1461890

but I cannot vouch for the viability of the towpath along that canal all the way to Old Trafford, you will need to experiment a bit

Small Fish

I tried that route - admittedly a few years ago - and it was very overgrown, slippery and narrow and also totally blocked by barbed wire/fence near the Urban Splash development on the edge of Castlefield. Overall not a pleasant experience. (I was trying to get from the Lowry Centre to Manchester) I ended up.having to climb over a wall with my bike to escape!

But as I said it was 3 or 4 years ago - there has been so much redevelopment that maybe it's been cleared. In theory you could get onto towpath on Oxford Road (steps down by Feluccini's restaurant) and cycle to Dukes 92 in castlefield. Then you'd have to get accross the castlefield baisin and get back onto towpath as per the google map above.

It has to be worth exploring the canal, but I think you might be better off going down stretford road - traffic is not too bad and then you'd only have the last 1/2 mile or close to the Quays on big roads.

rampax

Cheers for the map el presidente.
I can see that canal path from up on the road, and its a real dark thin one.
I was wondering about the much wider paved one on the other side of the Irwell?
Looks like its got lights, so less chance of "bandits" at night. Plus that path goes right into Exchange Quay, where I need to be.
On your map, there is a bit where your route crosses Hulme Hall Road. If you go under the train tracks, it looks like there is some sort of bridge over the Irwell, that would gain me convenient access to the above mentioned path. Do you know if that is a footbridge, as it could be one of those pipeline ones, its hard to tell from space.

Cheers guys.

marmitecp

Stretford Road is probably better. You can go down Fairfield street from the station and pick it up on the right after the Mancunian Way flyover. When you get to Seymour Grove carry on down Talbot Road and hook a right up Warwick Road and past Old Trafford. Then as per the gmap. Avoid the roundabout at White City at all costs.
I've not been on the Bridgewater canal for ages, it was more of an MTB route. Watch out as you return back into the city centre in the evening. The canal is a popular place for gentlemen to be friendly to one another.

PhilTheFish

marmitecp wrote:

The canal is a popular place for gentlemen to be friendly to one another.

What? You mean they may help you out if you get a puncture or something?

mrchrispy

The tow path is pretty rough and wouldn't really be fun on a brompton but it does go all the way from oxford road to the quays, it get quite narrow pretty muddy when wet. There is an ace bit where it hangs left under a bridge, the path narrows, campers towards the canal, its slippy and you have to duck to avoid hitting your head - gets you bottom twitching if you hit it at speed I can tell you. Personally I'd avoid it when dark or wet.

Lif30057840

The canal is a popular place for gentlemen to be friendly to one another...

gets you bottom twitching if you hit it at speed I can tell you. Personally I'd avoid it when dark or wet...

ooer - this post seems to have been hijacked :P

NFMC

I think the canal paths are to be avoided. It's dead easy to get to the Quays though from Manchester. I work just by the quays and go the opposite way pretty regularly.

For a traffic light route, you need to go through Hulme.

From Picc Station you want to head out to the BBC building and then go up Oxforrd Road a bit (very technical!) and turn right just past the park (the one just past Manchester Met University). Go underneath a few buildings and then across the main road (I'm embarassed writing this and not knowing the names of the roads!). This brings you to the main Hulme road and takes you over the new(ish) Hulme arch. Keep going for about a mile. At the junction, turn left and go trhough about three sets of lights. Turn tight at the cricket ground and go past OId Trafford football stadium. Keep going and then turn left at the bottom and that takes you to the new bridge that links the Lowry and the War Museum.

Sounds complicated but it isn't. It's pretty flat and shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.

rampax

Hi
I have been doing various routes for the last 3 weeks, but the optimal one is:
Come out of the back entrance of Picc station
Ride all the way to the bottom of Whitworth Street (next to Atlas),
turn left onto the A56, and shortly join a good cycle path
You can then turn accross the A56 toward Salford, still on cycle path
Then you cross the bridge over the Irwell and go down onto the path down the right hand bank.
This ashpalt illuminated path goes right into Exchange Quay - Voila!
I dont feel confident using it on the return leg in the evening yet, as all the muggers n rapists will be out by then.
So I just ride down the A56 dual crriageway and join the path again further down. Its "non pleasant" but fast.

mrchrispy

sounds nice but makes me cring everytime I see cyclist on that bit of dual carriageway on the A56. Have you tried crossing the road and going behind the police station to the BMW garage (chester road/A5014), much much safer IMO. I hate to think how close people must pass you on the dual carriageway.