Route: 50 miles route from Manchester to Liverpool with an overnight stop half way near Warrington. We'll be pootling an average of 25 miles per day with plenty of stops for sightseeing / chatter and food. Most of the route will be along NCN 62 the Transpenine Trail TPT.
The Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) is an exciting route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders linking the North and Irish seas, passing through the Pennines, alongside rivers and canals and through some of the most historic towns and cities in the North of England.The full Trail from coast-to-coast between Southport and Hornsea is 215 miles long.
Day 1: this leg of the trail will take us on the Fallowfield loop via Ashton Canal. This 8 miles green artery of Manchester carries along cyclists, walkers and horse riders from Chorlton-cum-Hardy through Fallowfield and Levenshulme to Gorton and Fairfield. We'll hop off the FLoop at the Hough End and join the shared cycling/pedestrian lane along Princess Road that will take us past the Southern Cemetery where a lot of famous Mancunian have found their final rest and piece (among them John Alcock, Matt Busby , John Rylands , LS Lowry , Maria Pawlikowska, Tony Wilson and many more. Next we'll join the River Mersey and the TPT through Chorlton and Sale Water parks, Stretford Meadows and Carrington Moss. We'll stop for a spot of lunch at Dudham Town and then carry on NCN 62 passed Heatley, Lymm, Thellwall and Grappenhall reaching our hotel for the night in/near Warrington.
Day 2: Leaving Warrington after breakfast we'll carry on along the river Mersey on the outskirts of Warrington, through Mersey Meadow and Memorial Forest onto the St Helen's canal, past the Ferry Marina and the iconic Fiddlers Ferry cooling towers. St Helen's canal runs along the river Mersey estuary both providing rich and diverse habittat for wildlife which there will be plenty to see along the way. We'll carry on along the Spike Island with its iconic Mersey Gateway bridge connecting Spike Island with Wigg Island, then pedal past the Catalyst museum. Our route will take us through some lovely green parks of Liverpool, like Halewood Triangle Park, Calderstone Park with the the remains of a Neolithic burial chamber, Sefton Park and along the sea promenade through Otterspool Park, Liverpool Festival Gardens and Liverpool docks. There are plenty museums in the docks that might ignite your interest : Exhibition Centre Liverpool, Maritime Museum, Museum of Liverpool, British Music Experience and plenty of opportunities for memorable pictures and souvenirs
