Hollinwood Branch Canal 2 - Droylsden Junction to Stannybrook Road

This post is the continuation from Hollinwood Branch Canal 1 - Sunnyside Road to Droylsden Junction north and east towards Daisy Nook Country Park.

At Droylsden Junction the original aqueduct has been replaced by a narrow bridge with a wooden base. It is quite safe, but a bit unnerving to cross.



The path opens up after the bridge, somewhat overshadowed by buildings on the left.



Soon you reach the former location of a swing bridge that gave access across the canal to Lumb Farm. However, you first have to negotiate a pretty dreadful (anti)cycling kissing gate where tricycles and tandems will have to be up-ended or lifted over.



Lumb Farm is now the location of a large industrial operation called Hadfield Wood Recyclers. Watch out for the HGVs entering the site.



Across the wide entrance road you can get to the next section of canal through the gap on the right of the fence, the gate is locked, and then through a wooden (anti)cycling kissing gate. Again trikes, trailers and tandems will struggle.



Just beyond the gate this sign marks the beginning of the Hollinwood Branch Canal Nature Reserve which includes all of the rest of this section of the canal.


The sign reads...

Owned by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council and managed by Cheshire Wildlife Trust. The Hollinwood Branch of the Ashton Canal is an excellent example of its type of a standing water system in the Greater Manchester area. This coupled with the number of regionally and nationally rare species found within it, lead to it being notified as a site of special scientific interest. The main habitats are swamp and fen. The open water areas are particularly diverse, containing species such as Water Soldier, Arrowhead and Frogbit, as well as a varied aquatic fauna - Dragonflies, Common Frog and Common Newts. Pike, Rudd and Common Bream are found in open water with Mallard, Moorhen and Reed Bunting. The towpath along the length of the canal makes up part of the Medlock Valley Network and walkers can view this interesting habitat from a convenient position.

This is the point where the path begins to look like a proper canal towpath alongside something resembling a canal. The first part is overshadowed by the barrier of trees on the left, but this is soon left behind. The boundary on the left of the towpath is the dividing line between Oldham and Tameside.



The trees on the left become a hedgerow and the far bank has farmland beyond.



The path itself is however is quite narrow and quite rough, but rideable on a hybrid bike.



Here you enter a hidden gem, an almost secret area, it's one of my favorite paths in the whole of my exploration of Greater Manchester.



As the canal curves gently to the right the canal passes under Cinderland Bridge which carries the path to Cinderland Hall Farm.



It is a tight squeeze to get under the bridge, because as the land subsided the banks of the canal were built up to keep the water in. North of the bridge was a dam and the canal returns to its sunken level.



Now there is some open water in this section of canal. Brookdale Golf Course is on the left of this section. The surface is smoother here, though muddy in places.



However, this soon ends and it becomes clogged with plants again.



The canal swings to the right again, heading almost due east and reaches the site of an old swing bridge, now replaced by a fixed wooden structure. By now the roar of traffic is beginning to assault the ears.



From here the path swings away from the canal and upwards as the traffic gets ever louder.



Soon you hit the bridge over the M60.



This eight lane scar through the landscape is completely out of keeping with the surrounding landscape and severs the canal at this point.



The path drops away on the other side returning to the canal route.



However from here there is no water in the canal.



In places it has been infilled above the level of the towpath, which changes the character of the route considerably.



The path then widens and moves over the canal bed as gates come into view.



This (anti)cycling kissing gate leads out to Stannybrook Road, and the road beyond leads into the car park of Daisy Nook Country Park.



This is a really dangerous crossing, it drops steeply to the left,



and to the right there is another junction, hidden from view to anyone crossing into the park, and there is nothing to protect people crossing the road from the speeding traffic.

Manchester Cycle Forum, Tue 23rd June

The next Manchester Cycle Forum will be held this coming Tuesday, 23rd June from 17:30 – 19:30 in Committee Room 4 at Manchester Town Hall.

On the agenda this time are:-

Feedback from Consultative Cycle Reference Group, Highway Maintenance, Enforcement Report, Strategy Update, Infrastructure Update and Report from Cycling Groups.

Please make the effort to attend if you can...


An example of the problems with Highway Maintenance in Manchester.

Replacement Bollards

The bollards on Middlewood Street have been broken for months, but they have finally been replaced after some pretty dreadful temporary repairs.

These two bollards have finally been replaced.



However, the lack of damage on the base clearly shows that the island has been replaced as well.



So far I don't think the other islands have been replaced, but I can't be sure...

Sign up for CycleHack MCR

CycleHack MCR takes place next weekend, from 6pm on Friday 19th to 8pm on Sunday 21st June at SpaceportX, 24/26 Lever Street, Manchester,
M1 1DZ.



What is a CycleHack?

CycleHack focuses on bringing people and their places together to discuss and generate solutions to barriers that stop or inhibit people from cycling. A ‘Cyclehack’ is an idea that can be prototyped and tested in the city that addresses a barrier to cycling. Hacks can be physical products, digital apps, ideas for new campaigns or even influence policy and can consider local infrastructure and route maps.

CycleHack is part of a global movement and is taking place in 25 cities around the world.

CycleHack Short Edit from CycleHack on Vimeo.

There are two ways to participate:-

For those who have the time to be involved in the full weekend and take part in the CycleHack, Full Weekend tickets mean you have access to the whole of the CycleHack event.

For people who can only spare a few hours there are Show and Tell tickets which give you access to Friday and Sunday of the event to see the CycleHack Speakers on Friday evening and the CycleHack Presentations on Sunday afternoon.

The programme for the weekend is as follows








So, sign up now and get involved.

Response to Manchester City Council: Proposal to Improve Deansgate Junction with Liverpool Road and Great Bridgewater Street

I don't know whether these plans have been discussed with the new Manchester Cycle Forum group, but I received it as a local resident. As far as I can tell these plans are not available on the City Council web site. If you wish to respond you can email c.ebizie(at)manchester.gov.uk by the 12th June. I have responded as a local resident along the following lines...





I frequently walk and cycle through this junction and occasionally have to drive through it.

This is a dangerous and intimidating junction for anyone cycling or walking. The behavior of drivers in this area is dreadful. Speeding is a frequent problem in this area, as are drivers using the wrong lanes, blocking cycle lanes and running red lights. Stand at this junction for more than 10 minutes and you will see cars, taxis or even buses being driven through red lights.


Looking North


Looking South


Looking East - note the respect shown for the cycle facilities!


Looking West


National Cycle Network Route 6 runs through this junction


This is what it is like to cycle NCN 6 here.

I support the proposal to ban right turns for motor vehicles from Deansgate in both directions, not least because I suggested this approach to the council last year. At the time I was told that it was not possible, so I am glad to see this first step. However, the proposals do not go far enough to make this junction safe and people friendly and are still dangerous. This design will encourage even more dangerous rat running along Barton Street and Southern Street to get around the banned right turn into Liverpool Road.


Barton Street

The proposed design lacks good quality segregated cycle tracks and the proposal places people cycling directly in the path of left turning traffic on all four approaches.

Also, these proposals have been brought forward in isolation without the plans for the junction on Deansgate by the station and the plans for Liverpool Road, both of which will have an impact on this design.

There are a number of changes that I think are necessary to ensure that this junction is safe:-

• Ban right turns for motor vehicles from Liverpool Road onto Deansgate southbound.

• Ban right turns for motor vehicles from Great Bridgewater Street onto Deansgate northbound.

• Reduce the northbound road to a single lane for motor traffic approaching the junction on Deansgate.

• Reduce the southbound road to a single lane for motor traffic approaching the junction on Deansgate.

• Use the road space reallocated by reducing the number of lanes to create 3 metre wide segregated cycle tracks on all four approaches to the junction and remove the advance stop boxes.

• Install traffic lights with separate traffic light phases for cycles.

• Enable right turns for cycles in all directions during the green cycle phase.

• Close Barton Street and Southern Street to motor vehicles by placing bollards in the road at the junction with Liverpool Road on both sides to prevent dangerous rat running.

Hollinwood Branch Canal 1 - Sunnyside Road to Droylsden Junction

The Hollinwood Branch of the Ashton Canal ran from Droylsden to Hollinwood. It was opened in 1797 to transport coal to Manchester from the collieries that lie between Ashton under Lyne and Oldham. For more details see the Pennine Waterways web site. This route is clearly shown on the Tameside cycle map.

The canal branches away at Droylsden Marina. The towpath of the main canal is on the opposite bank. From this point the path along the Ashton Canal going west are Ashton Canal 3 - Clayton to Fairfield and east Ashton Canal 4 - Fairfield to Ashton.

You can just see the towpath on the left of this picture looking from the branch back to the main canal.



Looking towards the new marina, this is a short section of restored canal.



However, the canal ends here. The path of the canal goes under the bridge carrying Manchester Road, next to Droylsden Library. But the route is blocked.



The usable towpath of the canal begins at Sunnyside Road, the site of Clifford swing bridge, opposite St Stephen's View, which has been built on the bed of the canal. Refreshingly there are no anti-cycling barriers to bar your way.



From here the path runs along the infilled canal. The surface is only grit, but good quality if rather narrow.



There is some lighting of the path, and the space is pleasant and wide.



However, after about a quarter of a mile the path reaches playing fields.



Here the barrier is pretty impossible. it is a struggle to get a small bike through here, anything larger is almost impossible without removing the gate... The path is tarmac from this point.



The route of the canal turns to the left here and there is a second barrier as the route runs round Lumb Clough.



Here the land slopes away to the west into Lumb Clough.



This area is quite wooded, and the path is narrowed by the bushes. There is housing on the right behind tall fences.



As the trees clear, the fence along the railway line come into view.



From here the canal towpath continues over the railway line on a narrow footbridge. This can be followed in the next post Hollinwood Branch Canal 2 - Droylsden Junction to Stannybrook Road.



To the west from here one path heads towards Clayton Vale, and another heads east along a disused railway line to Audenshaw.



This was the site of Droylsden Junction and just to the east was the former location of Droylsden Station.


Image from Railmap Online