Best places to ride in Merseyside?

mike147147

I've just bought a new bike, it's my first road bike!

I'm looking for some nice places to ride in or around Merseyside. Preferably with some nice scenery.

I'm not against getting the train to go a bit further afield as long as it takes less than an hour to get there.

I'm thinking of joining a club at a later date as I'm sure they'll be able to reveal some nice routes, but I'd rather get a few miles under my belt first.

keef66

Depends which bit of Merseyside you live in. As a student I lived in Birkenhead and cycled all over the Wirral, with the occasional trip beyond Chester and into North Wales. That was lovely cycling, but I've just worked out it was nearly 40 years ago :shock:

Best way of getting into your local cycling scene would be to join a friendly club. Must be dozens around Liverpool?

Flâneur

Liverpool side; head out to Ormskirk direction or Formy. Enjoy the cross winds Getting out the centre is never that fun but you have to start somewhere.

Wirral; plenty of easy 30 mile roads around without being in a city, easy to go further afield into Cheshire or North Wales. Cheshire is rolling and North Wales has more bumps.

Let me know which side of the water and I can link some routes (more so for Wirral outbound)

Coppi me

where about are you, try heading towards Ormskirk straight up the A59 from Maghull then head out towards Parbold hill, good climbing and nice routes around there

look at it on google maps to get an idea

Flâneur

A recent route the club did over towards Ormskirk
https://www.strava.com/activities/364981840

Shorter version of the linked ride as garmin files
http://douglas.cx/wl/9AugLong.tcx (for garmin 500)
http://douglas.cx/wl/9AugLong.gpx (for 800)

mike147147

I live in Kirkby, actually rode to Ormskirk yesterday to pick up some new pedals, GPS on my phone sent me downp Moorfield/Narrow Moss Lane, very nice roads, quiet and lots of open fields/farm land.

I don't object to jumping the Ferry over to the Wirral, although I'd probably get the train to save me riding through the city.

I've recently been riding around Crank and up/down Shaley Brow for some climbing experience, next time I'm out I'll incorporate Parbold Hill into the route (I've just seen a vid on YouTube, looks like a nice tough climb!).

I'm planning a metric century soon, I'll probably do that through the Wirral/Chester.

mike147147

Thanks for the Ormskirk route, I'll take a look later on my PC as I'm on my phone at the moment.

Coppi me

as a quick thought, I remember Parbold hill as about 12/14% for about 1/2 a mile from roughly the little bridge near the bottom to the pub on the top. Halfway up, there's one or two roads on the left (can't remember which one you take now) but it maybe the one with the white building on the corner and quite a large junction.......anyway......you go down one of them and it leads to a very small hump back bridge on a 90 degree left hander and as you then pass across the railway, there's a little turn off to the left where lots of riders stop at a café. If you're following any motorbikes then you may see them turn left here too as lots of us advanced tutors take our pupils here for a brew and a debrief.

Coppi me

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/the+granary+and+stables



when approaching and going up Parbold hill, as you cross over the rella, take the first left....this is the junction I was on about (B5247 ? I think) stay on this road to Meadows Lane or google Rufford train station for an idea

niallmo

When I was a kid in the Walton area it was Southport and back that inspired us. Straight down to the dock road around Seaforth and try and hug the coast up to Southport. Goes through some really nice areas and you could come back various different ways.

mike147147

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19704405#p19704405]Niallmo[/url] wrote:

When I was a kid in the Walton area it was Southport and back that inspired us. Straight down to the dock road around Seaforth and try and hug the coast up to Southport. Goes through some really nice areas and you could come back various different ways.

Yes when I was a kid it was Southport and back too! Just a different route, along the canal from Aintree, then onto the Cheshire Lines, and then along the coast. A nice ride but unfortunately I don't have a cyclocross bike (yet!)

One crazy afternoon I rode to Blackpool along the coast on my MTB with knobbly tyres.(from Southport) I seem to remember that being a nice ride. There and back is a century...

holiver

When I lived in Liverpool, I would either head south through Runcorn or east to head up Winter Hill.