Walk Leader: Stephen Martin

Number on walk: 4

Distance: 17 miles

Weather: Sunny

Four members started off at Sale Water Park on a dry, warm day.  Free parking and for those who wish to take public transport there is a tram stop adjacent.  There is a cafe on site that opens at 08.30 and toilet facilities. 

We started off by walking around the sailing lake and then onto the Bridgewater Canal through to Man United home stadium, Old Trafford.  From there our route took us to Salford Quays and Media City, were we saw Ellie Simmons and the Blue Peter garden.  Not far from Salford Quays, a break was had at Ordsall Hall where toilets and a cafe are available.  We continued onto the City Centre which was full of interesting churches, memorials and building to list but a few and broke for lunch at Parsonage Gardens.   Soon we were on our return leg along the Bridgewater Canal back to Old Trafford football ground and onto Old Trafford cricket ground.  From there we walked through Longford Park where we enjoyed an ice cream before entering the Mersey Forest at Charlton Ees ad Ivy Green Nature reserve, back to the start.

A very interesting walk with a variety of scenery, from countryside to the hustle and bustle of a vibrant city.  This walk was an exception to the norm but very, very enjoyable.

Highlights include:
– The towpaths of the historic Rochdale and Bridgewater Canals

– The vibrant waterside attractions of MediaCityUK and Salford Quays
– The Grade I-listed Ordsall Hall, a 15th-century manor house surrounded by    Elizabethan gardens
– Castlefield‘s industrial and transport-related heritage
– Iconic sports grounds at Old Trafford
– Longford Park, with its petting zoo, cafe and play areas
– The paths and lanes of Turn Moss and the Mersey Valley greenbelt.
– Riverside paths along the Irwell, the surprisingly peaceful waterway that separates the cities of Manchester and Salford
– A wander between green and traffic-free spaces of the city centre, including Castlefield’s Roman gardens and fort and Manchester’s Medieval Quarter

– A surprisingly quiet section of the canal south of Stretford town centre, where the passing boats create a colourful scene and cafes.