Strman one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I left St Peter’s Square, Manchester, in the rain, and it was drizzling on and off all the way. I passed the GMEX conference centre and the Bridgewater Hall before passing the historic Briton’s Protection pub. I crossed the River Medlock (half of which is underground in Manchester) just after Deansgate station, invisibly, past loads of new housing skyscrapers. Then I crossed over a busy roundabout but with very good crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.
At St George's (after passing Manchester’s 38th school!) I realised I needed to go through the park, via wide cycle barriers, not along the alleyway. Leaving this green space there was a very short litter-strewn path through woods, and another playing field before reaching the quiet suburbs of Old Trafford.
Stretford Road was a little tricky to cross, but I actually found Seymour Grove (B5217) was a bit worse, due to parked cars.
I found it interesting walking past the tram depot and the cricket ground, but then the route ended with a long, boring walk along King’s Road to reach Stretford Station. I will upload an alternative which will use Longford Park from the roundabout.
The route would be ok for some wheels but there are lots of bumps from roots and paving stones that are crooked as well as an avoidable flight of shallow stairs.

A mix of mostly urban with the odd park thrown in for good measure.

From Stretford, we head onto long residential roads. Eventually, the route takes us down a cul-de-sac, but the pavement is narrow, there's a bollard in front of the footpath, which goes up steps. I agree with the former reviewer that this diversion is unnecessary; one can stick to the pavement around the roundabout ahead, and it'll be almost fully accessible.

The next footpath, tarmac and past housing, is accessed by a slope off of the roundabout, and it eventually comes out at Old Trafford cricket pitch. From there, a long industrial road, a few turns and we're in the first of a series of green spaces.

Seymour Park has tarmac paths, as does Hullard Park. There is no crossing over Stretford Road, and there's also railings and a cycleway, but it is doable. Wheeled users can use a nearby pelican crossing.

Past a school and onto another main road, the way over the next green space is via desire lines and then a rough path through trees. Past a barrier, we then access a path past houses and a tarmac path through St George's Park.

Soon we're negotiating the crossings at the junction of Chester Road and the Mancunian Way, before heading past Deansgate and onto Lower Mosley Street, passing the GMEX, Bridgewater Hall, the Peterloo memorial and onto St Peter's Square.

A straightforward route through some nice areas of Manchester. Fully accessible if the noted diversions are taken.

Direct route from Manchester to Stretford that takes in a few local parks and gives good access almost the entire way. Completed the route with a pushchair in under an hour and a half. Minor quibbles including crossing Stretford Road (need to walk 100 yards to crossing) and alleyway near the Quadrant (steps and route saves no time, so better to just go round the Quadrant and straight onto King’s Road). Not the prettiest route in places but does the job well.

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