Around Worsley Eventually
27th August 2015
Click Here For Route Via Strava
Route planned via http://www.plotaroute.com/routeplanner , so tonight’s adventure had been well planned and would go like clockwork, but this is Graham & Ebays world.
The route took us along Market St through Farnworth, along Bolton Rd to Kearsley where we turned right heading towards Manor golf club to find the path at the rear of the 18th green. On arriving at the point where the path should have been , it looked like the map was wrong. After a quick exploration of the area the path was located. It took us through heavy shrubbery , slipping and sliding through deep mud. There were no visible cycle tyre tracks, so we must have been one of the first adventurers to travel this route on bikes for a long time. Soon we came to a clearing where there was a fork in the path, judging we hadn’t travelled far enough, we rode on until we came across a gate, here the path looked like it was even less suitable for bikes, so we did a U-turn back to the fork in the path and took the other route. Following this it sounded we were heading towards the motorway where we were to cross over a bridge, so things were looking good. The path got gradually worse and at one point we had to dismount and push the bikes under trees and heavy shrubbery onto a more open path but now we found ourselves at the rear of the 18th tee , we were obviously heading in the opposite direction we needed to be going, so another U-turn had to be made.
Imminently we were back at the gate we had turned back previously but this time we continued through, we were soon going down hill brushing past the overgrown plants either side of the path, some of which were thistles and nettles, which wasn’t very pleasant when your in tee shirts and shorts.
After a short but perilous ride we once again found ourselves at a junction, and yet again chose the wrong path, but luckily realised our error after only a few metres, re routing onto the right path, this took us onto the bridge over the M60 motorway towards Swinton, here we picked up Moorside Rd towards the East Lancs. Once across the East Lancs a challenge in itself, we continued along Moorside Rd.
After consulting the map I decided we needed to turn left, but this again proved wrong with Graham pointing out we were heading back towards the East Lancs, so a quick change of direction found us back on the right track and heading towards the Bridgewater canal to Cromptons at the waterside where our plan was to ride down the canal towards Barton upon Irwell , then back up and along National cycle route 55, but due to our delay earlier on Graham suggested we ride back up the tow-path to Worsley, so this we did , now going off our planned route.
Once we got to the Bridgewater pub we stopped, and assessed our best route home as the evening light was leaving us. We decided we had a couple of options, ride back up the road towards Walkden or ride through the woods, we chose the woods and set off, then stop .“ Do you know which way it is ?” asked Graham, “ no “ I replied “ don t you !”. Ah well we headed in the direction we thought we needed to go but it only brought us out onto Worsley Rd and up to Hazelhurst Rd, the actual road we should have come down originally.
So we continued now we knew where abouts we where, back across the East Lancs heading home, but instead of going straight up Moorside Rd we turned left up Priestley Rd through Wardley Ind Est eventually emerging onto Manchester Rd and onwards until we turned right down Moss Lane leading us across Blackleach country park, along Pilkington Rd and down to join Bolton Rd. Here at the junction with Stoneclough Rd we parted company, Graham choosing the scenic route back along the canal paths, as I chose the quicker option for myself to go along the roads through Farnworth and then to enjoy the speedy ride down Smiths Rd to home.
