Manchester Sightseer

Do you know?

• Where the Bee Gees performed one of their first gigs as young Mancunians?
• Where Bob Dylan recorded his “Live at the Albert Hall (it’s a trick question!)
• Where the Gunpowder Plot was, err, plotted?
• Where to find a flying cat?

You need to ride the Manchester Sightseer!

I was challenged to come with a bike ride through a city that prides itself on being cycling-friendly; where Sarah Storey DBE is the Cycling Commissioner (having taken over from Chris Boardman MBE); where British Cycling has its home. I was also reminded of the area’s rich history when Tony Walsh read his poem “This is the Place” in the aftermath of the bombing of the Manchester Arena.

Could I create a safe and interesting ride? I like to think the answer is: yes!

What’s to see?

The ride takes in Manchester’s river valleys and canals. The Medlock, Irk, Irwell and Mersey all rise in the hills above Manchester, so the start of Merseyside is right here. The opening of the Bridgewater Canal in 1761 started a transport revolution and was followed by others such as the Ashton Canal, providing traffic-free corridors through the conurbation. We also have the Manchester Ship Canal, which opened in 1894, and is crossed at Irlam Locks, Barton Aqueduct and at Salford Quays.

Railways were pioneered here, with Liverpool Road station the world’s first inter-city terminal (more accurately, joint first). The viaducts at Castlefield may have obliterated the roman fort, but the railway companies at least added some castellations in an attempt at mitigation – you decide if it worked!

We have the earliest Motorways in the country. Can you find the M52 or the M63 on a map? The ride encounters the deserted island of Simister, which has zero population but receives over 100,000 daily visitors. The ride also visits Sale Water Park, the flooded gravel pits left over from the M63 construction.

There are memorials to former Mancunians; Joseph Whitworth famous for his screws, Harry Hall, possibly the last person to talk to Tommy Simpson on Mont Ventoux, L S Lowry who painted Daisy Nook Easter Fair (that painting sold for £3.8 million so it’s possibly worth making a quick sketch while you’re passing).

Manchester has had its famous visitors;

Alan Turing the inventor of the computer

Rolls and Royce who made cars here

Marks and his retail empire

Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Matt Busby, who gained some success at United

Fryderick Chopin, famous for writing a song for Take That.

Revolutionaries include Friedrich Engels who wrote the Communist Manifesto, Guy Fawkes, Emmeline Pankhurst, and Bob Dylan (he was branded a “judas” here when he appeared at the Free Trade Hall). Even the ordinary Mancunians played their tragic part in the Peterloo Massacre. Tony  Wilson was instrumental in launching the “Madchester” scene with his Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub.

How to ride

The Manchester Sightseer can be ridden as an Audax ride in either its 114km or 63km versions, or it can be undertaken just as a bike ride without Audax validation. The nominal start is Sale Water Park, but you could dip in and out anywhere along the route. You could start at one of the many stations on the route, but note that only non-folding bikes can be taken on Metrolink trams. It can be ridden by road bike, a gravel bike, a mountain bike – use whatever you’ve got! The ride uses canal towpaths, former railway lines as well as on-street cycling facilities. Bring a lock as you’ll want to stop at a café somewhere. And pick a good day – Manchester has a reputation for rain after all. Whether you use a helmet or not is for you to decide.

Further Details

For the Manchester Sightseer 114km see http://www.delphcyclist.info/MancPerm.html

There is a mini-Manc Sightseer 63km at http://www.delphcyclist.info/MiniPerm.html