Ashton Canal - Stockport Branch part 2

This post picks up from Ashton Canal - Stockport Branch part 1 at the point where the canal route passes under the Fallowfield Loop and ends where the canal used to cross Longford Road West, which is a fairly horrible on-road section of NCN route 6.



After the bridge the path passes over the dam which holds back the water in the Gorton Lower Reservoir.



To the left is the reservoir, whilst to the right the dam falls away making this area quite open.



Here you can find some stone artworks made with cut stone.



There are a variety of markings on these stones, and I'll post more of the photographs separately.



Beyond the dam the Debdale Outdoor Centre sits on the line of the canal



and the path is forced into this narrow gap.



The path then emerges into a car park. At this point you have to cross Wall Way, rather than entering Debdale Park. The photo below is taken from the opposite side of the road and the route is by no means obvious.



On the other side of the road you can pick up the path and the route of the canal reappears, passing under the two parts of Hyde Road.



The canal route passes under the Thirlmere Aqueduct in this box structure between the two parts of the road.



Just south of Hyde Road there was a basin on the left.



The path then narrows & some gardens have been extended out across the canal, as Gorton Cemetary appears on the right.



The path surface degrades to a muddy surface as it runs alongside the cemetary, and the covers suggest that there are water pipes of some sort here.



However, before the canal reaches the end of the cemetary the route is blocked by gardens which have been extended. At this point you are forced out onto Broadfield Grove.



To pick up the canal route again you have to go out onto the main Gorton Road, then right down Furnival Street to get into North Reddish Park.

At about this point the canal enters Stockport, and there seems to have been no effort from here on to preserve the route.



Here the route of the canal runs down the west side of the park.



In the southern end it is marked out by this line of trees.



A narrow finger of the park marks out the canal route down to Longford Road West where the last traces of the canal disappear.



To the south of here the route is again obliterated by gardens & housing development. It can be seen in the landscape running along the east side of Houldsworth Golf Course and some traces near Broadstone Mill and the junction with the Beat Bank Branch Canal, but there is not enough to make a viable walking or cycling route.

Cycle Forums in Greater Manchester

I've taken on the task of getting all the cycle forums into the Love Your Bike Cycling Events Calendar and there is quite a contrast between the different councils.



Manchester Cycle Forum runs every quarter, is chaired by a city councillor and usually packs out the room it is held in. Details of the meetings are posted on the council web site, but agendas and minutes of the meetings are not posted on the web site.

Salford Cycle Forum is also held quarterly, run by the cycling officer. Details of the meeting are available on the council web site along with agendas and "Action Sheets".

Trafford Cycle Forum is held quarterly. It is chaired by a cycle campaigner rather than an officer or councillor. Agendas and Minutes are both posted on the web site and the meetings are well attended.

Oldham Cycling Forum has restarted this past year and is an ad hoc affair. There is no information on the web site and meetings have come to my attention via twitter, so I have publicised them as best I can. Some details have also been posted on the TfGM web site.

Stockport Council’s Public Cycle User Group "meets once per month in the Town Hall, and is open to all cyclists and others who have an interest in cycling." There is a web page with the most recent draft minutes. In fact the general meetings are every other month with specialised meetings in the other months. Attendance is a bit smaller.

Bolton "At long last, the Bolton Cycle Forum is back! The next meeting will be on Wednesday, 12th November 2014, starting at 6pm." First meeting will be at the The Bolton Artillery Suite, Bolton Town Hall, Victoria Square, Bolton, BL1 1SA. So far this information hasn't reached the council's cycling web page I could find.

Bury Cycling Forum "was established in 1996 at the request of local cyclists. Until 2011 it met four times a year to discuss cycling issues and was attended by cyclists, Council officers and occasionally, Council Members. The Council doesn't currently have a cycling officer so meetings of the forum are not being convened." So this is a dead cycle forum.

Tameside is another dead cycle forum, it folded over four years ago.

Rochdale has no sign of a cycle forum, and very little info on their web pages.

Wigan also has no sign of any consultation on cycling, there are just the usual platitudes on cycling on their web site.