Leaving Hyde bus station, we definitely should have crossed Manchester Road/Market Street A57 straight away at the pedestrian lights, because the access to the canal is from the south side of the nasty busy road, and it was very difficult to cross it later – very pedestrian unfriendly. It was also a bit difficult with the buggy with three steps and a cobbled slope....

Mary Oz

The lane was traffic free but there is also a safe path over the hedge. Here it was temping to think the Slow Way took a local unrecorded path, but no, the map confirms green dash lines along a route now uneven and crossed by exposed tree roots. The next path which leaves the lane after crossing the stream was again a bit of a scramble up the hillside especially as the ground was very wet. The alternative recorded path would be the CEW which I did explore and found to be rather overgrown and muddy, it would also involve a lot a main road walking as reported in a review of Hazrom. Back on a recorded path which takes us to the roads of Hazel Grove, passing a few shops it offers a safe crossing of the busy A6 before arriving via a step free station approach but having managed the middle section of this walk, what are a few steps?...

Ken

Leaving Stockport Station and climbing up this section is all pavement on a busy road, crossing Wellington Road South and Edward Street. Continue towards Woodbank Ind est and Pear Mill towards Woodbank Memorial Park and Vernon Park. Nice walk through the park until you get to Bredbury Hall and Country Club, It was a really hot sunny day and the walk was nice with some shade. Through the fields crossing the River Goyt. Down Berrycroft and direct pavement walking into Romiley village. Mixed access for wheelchairs or prams but plenty of access on a bicycle....

Andrew B

Largely agreeing with previous comments from Nightauk - this is a nice simple walk, from Romiley it amounts to 'get to the towpath, turn north, and continue til you hit Manchester Road'. I did encounter some steps getting on and off the towpath, and it does include the Woodley Tunnel which I'm not comfortable walking through without a torch (there is a handrail between you and the canal, but the concrete underfoot is uneven and the ceiling gets very low if you try to move away from the water). Lovely views, even now when the trees are leafless, would be even better in the spring or summer....

Lauren G

A good ,reasonably direct route.Some sections do not exactly show on the os map.Although a very urban walk the route avoids too many busy roads,There a number of interesting buildings and parks on route,no obstructions or issues...

J w ollid

No stiles, mostly good surfaces, some steps and safe road walking....

Ken

After the eighth lock the canal was lower than the railway and we walked under a small viaduct, then along the canal aqueduct over the River Goyt, parallel to the viaduct over the Goyt....

Mary Oz

This doesn’t yet show on the OS Map, and from here there are good views of the appropriately named Pear Mill....

Mary Oz

We turn left onto Goyt Crescent and right up Goyt Valley Road, then cross a park left and look for the steps down to the path along the bottom (there is a choice of two sets of steps). We cross at the lights, turn right and then turn left down Railway Road to reach the meeting point outside Stockport station....

Hugh Hudson

A direct route a mix of urban pavements, cuts throughs and quality cycle routes....

Ken

The canal section over the Marple aqueduct is spectacular and I enjoyed the road walk through the mill, and had no safety concerns at all. Leaving the meeting point at Marple station, we head up Brabyns Brow and turn right along the Peak Forest canal towpath (were I being hypercritical, I might say that the route designer missed a trick here, as the corner can be shortened by the path around the tennis club)....

Hugh Hudson

A surprising amount of variety in this suburb-to-suburb route: you start with a steep walk up a residential street to get the blood pumping and achieve an impressive view over towards Manchester, then it's farm tracks, pasture, a few stiles, and a bit of the Peak Forest Canal in the middle. Accessibility thoughts: as mentioned, there are stiles and pasture can be muddy....

Lauren G

After entering Redbrow Wood and passing through a gate, the route turns right onto a trail which is poorly maintained and overgrown. I am pretty sure the rest of this route is good, though: I've walked Ernocroft Wood up to Glossop Road before, and Brown Low down to Glossop is shared with another reviewed route (Marglo) and should be fine....

Lauren G

The deviser of the route has given a really detailed description, which I won't go over again, other than to say that this does go through St Thomas's Rec and Woodbank Memorial Park, but I didn't encounter any gates that get locked at dusk as you sometimes see in city parks....

Lauren G

Note that the close up photo of the gate at Romiley Station southbound line is not on this, or any of the routes to/from Romiley....

nightauk

* there is no pedestrian crossing at Dooley Lane after exiting Warren Wood, this is extremely dangerous and the main reason I'm refusing a recommendation * walking alongside fast cars on Dooley Lane and on Offerton Road (both A-roads) is unpleasant...

Lauren G

A pleasant route which is almost all over smooth and compacted surfaces, except for the road either side of Middle Farm which includes small boulders and potholes. Slopes and narrow widths mean that this route would be suitable for some mobility scooters but not for others: for details please see survey....

Ian V

The steps up to the canal from Vale Road are narrow, but they do have a handrail....

Mark Gould

Bear left and shortly find a flight of steps up onto the towpath, then follow the canal east and rejoin the mapped route at Hyde Bank....

Lauren G

Left my 3-star review on Rommar 1, saying I actually came this way - this is the correct way to do this route, as Rommar 1 goes through the mill. As for the route itself, it's quite short, direct, and almost all towpath except for one flight of steps in the middle. When I visited, there were families with small children, dogs, and even kayakers out enjoying it....

Lauren G

Lovely route as mainly canal,interesting local and natural history. Great woods ....

NinaF

This is the fist time I've given a 5-star review and it's a route of my devising so definitely needs some more opinions and photos of the park and rural sections...

nightauk

Likewise the 2 steps on the snake bridge at Hyde, Wood Lane access (photo in first review)....

nightauk

However, the route starts from the east end of the station so it is best to commence east, avoiding the lower level which can be busy....

nightauk

The descent to the River Goyt is broad and fairly steep with a bend (photo 1 looking back). The entrance to the footpath on the bend of the river is difficult to find and a bit of a scramble for older people up a loose earth bank with a flight of wooden steps and no handrail (photo 5). This deviation is longer than the field path but obviously the route preferred by the local landowners and council and it is well-used, popular and well signposted (photo 9 looking back from the A627). StoRom 1 then has a toucan crossing, with Romiley rail station signposted (photo 11), to access Vale Road, which has a sealed surface. I don’t recommend the StoRom 1 route from the first corner of Vale Road where, ignoring the pedestrian/cycle signpost to the station along Vale Road, the route continues through a bridleway gate and horse facility and then a second bridleway gate (photo 12). Access is some meters along the main path up three substantial flights of steps (photo 13, see OSM at this point) to access the Peak Forest canal....

nightauk

Some tunnels to go through, one of which is long a reasonably narrow, requiring a torch to safely navigate. Some bridges to go over, all of which are wheelchair/pram firendly but cobbled which may make it difficult on wet days....

Rhys I

Secondly, where the Alan Newton Way meets Vale Road there is a path on the right into the fringe of the woods, with a kissing gate type arrangement, possibly big enough to take a mobility scooter (photo 2) but the path doesn't lead straight up into the woods, it continues along the fringe before turning right off this main path and up three flights of steps (photo 3) to the Peak Forest Canal towpath....

nightauk

There is also access for push chairs and cycles from Woodend Lane in Hyde, again with a couple of steps and the cobbled slope of a snake bridge (photos 1, 2 cobbled ramp, 3 child security checked before descending two steps, photo 4). More typically other access is by flights of steps (photo 5, access from Apethorn Lane, Hyde)....

nightauk

It is preferable to access the Peak Forest Canal using the route signposted to Chadkirk Chapel through, pleasant suburbs and up a flight of steps to the canal....

nightauk

There is a step downward set of steps around 0.5km into the route, just past Hyde Bank Farm, with a narrow loosely cobbled cycle path alongside it. There are unparallel cycle barriers at four points on the steps. Apart from this the route is very accessable....

SimBurt