GM Ringway Summary

Distance walked on route: 202 miles

Total distance walked: 290 miles

This includes the walks to and from public transport and connections, and we had a few days closer to home where we went on foot rather than use transport.

This is the first time we have done a long distance walk in stages using transport rather than staying in accommodation.  The trams, buses and trains were quite convenient and reliable. Only one train was cancelled, one managed to turn around avoiding the points failure at the next station out and thankfully the car crashed into the bus going the other way not ours. 

Walking in the height of summer was a new experience for us, as usually we hibernate (apparently the word is aestivate) and while it was nice to not have to worry about it getting dark, or too cold and wet, it did mean grass rashes, insect bites and more risk of dehydration.

The walk itself was definitely worth doing. It was fun to walk around our home city, through areas that we know well and to new places, some of which we had no idea were there. Unsurprisingly we preferred the more remote moorland sections but even the urban sections had points of interest.

GM Ringway Day 18

Stages - end of 19 and 20: Sale to St Peter's Square

Distance: 12.5 miles

Warm and clammy, turning hot and sweaty

Yesterday we were at the cricket at Old Trafford and stayed the night at the Premier Inn in Media City. We caught the tram from there to Sale to start the walk. Going through Worthington Park and the Priory Gardens, we crossed a footbridge over the many lanes of the M60 motorway and into Sale Water Park, where again we did not buy any ice-creams. The water park was made in the 1970s from the land excavated when they made the Mersey flood defenses and is now home to many species. We saw some cormorants, grey herons and moorhens, and met a lady who was very curious about what I was carrying in my bag and then expressed her surprise at my (lack of) skincare regime. 

From the park we rejoined the Bridgewater Canal towards the city centre, missing out the bits of the route that go up and back from the tram stop in Stretford. The canal passes by the busy freight terminals, the waterside tranquil with fish and dragonflies, and beside Old Trafford football stadium into Salford Quays and Media City.

We had a sit in the shade next to the Blue Peter garden and then walked on around the dock basins to Ordsall Park where the route wiggles around to take in the sights of the bowling green and exercise equipment. We had a look around Ordsall Hall and gardens, which are lovely - and not actually in the park but a few streets over in the housing estate. Then back along the canal into town.  We walked up the hot pavements on Liverpool Road by the Museum of Science and Industry and around Castlefield to see the Roman walls and through Spinningfields where it was quite nice and shady between the tall buildings. We caught up on some local gossip in Parsonage Park and went around the Medieval Quarter (the cathedral, the pubs in Sinclairs square and Cheethams Music School - where a little boy was living his best life with his feet in the water feature and a juice pouch) before walking back up Deansgate, via St Annes Square, to St Peters Square and the end of the walk.

We caught the tram, braving the busker for a few minutes longer to wait for a quieter tram.

GM Ringway Day 17

Stage 19 part one - Altrincham to Sale

Distance 6 miles

Very warm

The walk from the tram station started with a wiggly walk through back streets and into John Leigh park where there were very contented sounding wood pigeons and plenty of squirrels. The day was warm, so it was pleasantly shady under the trees between the playing fields, and with a bit more wiggling we emerged onto the Bridgewater Canal. The rest of the walk was spent along the canal towpath with the occasional detour up into parks and back to break up the monotony. In Sale we walked through the shopping precinct to Tesco to buy some food before taking the tram to Old Trafford for the Hundred cricket (Originals vs London Spirit  - women lost but men won.)

GM Ringway Day 16

Stage 18 Irlam to Altrincham

Distance 11 miles

We were a little later than usual setting off today but still made it to Manchester and Irlam on the tram and train in decent time. We wiggled our way through streets of terraced housing and allotments to Glazebrook and stopped for lunch on a handy bench on a small green near the outskirts of town. We met a beautiful and friendly cat at the edge of the fields, the first of three friendly cats that we met today - appropriate as it is International Cat Day.

We crossed the fields, with occasional bangs from bird-scarers going off that were putting the pigeons up for seconds, to the road and bridge crossing over the Manchester Ship Canal. This was quite interesting as there are engineering works being done at the moment, there is one lane with traffic lights and no pavement, although there was a narrow gap behind the low traffic barrier that we were able to get along quite easily, with a bit of care needed at either end. Today's walk has some busy road crossings, and even if the bridge was open properly it would still be quite a tricky section.

Away from the road we took the slight detour to see the old church in Warburton, which is a very picturesque village with old cottages and very neat hedges, in very bucolic countryside. We walked around fields of wheat, barley and oats with attractive wildflower borders passing pretty villages and old farms into Dunham Woodhouses (with friendly cat) before crossing a narrow footbridge over a stream and entering Dunham Massey park. The sun came out as we had a sit on a bench in front of the house, next to big trees with parakeets squawking and deer wandering around.

From the park the path goes through the golf course, a pleasant path under the trees, and then through Devisdale and Denzel gardens into Altrincham, where we passed some very posh houses (and met shy, but friendly cat number 3) and many Pilates studios to reach the tram station.

GM Ringway Day 15

 Stage 17 Leigh to Irlam

Distance 10 miles

Windy

Reed warbler (although the app reckoned it was a wood pigeon), linnet, swallows, goat and emu, kestrel, buzzard, shaggy sheep.

Insect bites: 1 each

Yesterday we were at Old Trafford Cricket Ground watching the Hundred games (the Originals both lost to the Southern Brave) and spent last night at a Premier Inn in Salford Quays. After loading up on breakfast, we headed off to catch the V1 bus to Leigh. It rained as we were traveling but stopped just as we arrived in Leigh and the sun came out which made the roads and shed roofs steam.

We left the streets and onto a slightly muddy footpath leading to early wet feet. After a tricky road crossing by a busy roundabout we were on to quiet country lanes and farm tracks towards Little Woolden Moss nature reserve. We had a sit at what used to be a bird hide but was now just a bench and a large information sign annd watched the kestrels and buzzards. After crossing the M62 on a quiet bridge, there was more farmland with horses, goats and a very cute shaggy sheep. We turned off up a footpath that was quite overgrown with nettles, clearly not many people come this way.

A lumpy lane brought is into Irlam through a housing estate to Irlam station heritage trail, where it appears that the station was run by hobbits. We caught the train to Oxford Road and the tram home from St Peters Square.