Cyclists' Home Page | Davenport Station | Cycle Stockport | Stockport Council Cycling pages
These supplementary cyclist's pages are for everyone who enjoy cycling around the south Stockport area, and especially those who attend the Stockport Council Cycle User Group meetings, which are freely open to all. New faces are always welcome.
Note: this is a strictly unofficial site, not connected with or approved by Stockport Council or Northern Rail.
Links:
Mirrlees Fields Friends Group
Stockport Council Cycling pages
Lost Cycle Routes of South Stockport (2010)
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Taylor Wimpey Sales Brochure
Created and compiled by Charlie Hulme.
Mirrlees Revisited, 2018
Much has happened since we last wrote about the route across Mirrlees Fields. A housing estate of 226 homes has been created by developers Taylor Wimpey and Bellway on the site of the Mirrlees (now MAN Diesel) manufacturing facility, leaving just their modern offices and a spare parts store. The company still owns the remaining former sports field, but have co-operated with a Friends Group to plant trees, generally look after the fields, provide seats adjacent to the rights-of-way across the fields, and installed interpretation boards. The Cheshire Wildlife Trust have provided advice and assistance, although their funding has for the project has now run out. Legally, anyone departing from the rights-of-way without permission on MAN Diesel is trespassing, but nobody appears to have told the many dog-walkers (amateur and professional).
A condition of the planning permission was that the rights-of-way should be improved, and this work is now (June 28 2018) mostly completed. This the view from the Hazel Grove end of the route looking to a new street 'Elder Drive' which leads towards main entrance to the estate on Bramhall Moor Lane. The surface is 3-metre-wide tarmac through out the section on MAN property.
Turning left from the above view we see the connection to the existing road Barlows Lane South, for anyone heading towards the A6 and Sainsbury's. When completed this will be for cyclists and pedestrians only.
Turning round another 90 degrees left, we look down the path itself. To the left is an access which leads to the other new streets of the estate, Hawthorn Avenue and Blackthorn Avenue. Off scene to the left there is a small park; the rare weeping beech tree which stood by the now-vanished Bramhall House has been preserved and is thriving.
The gate allows access to vehicles by people who have a key: mainly anglers accessing the pond alongside the lower end of the path, and any maintenance vehicles: traditionally the grass of the fields has been mown annually by a local farmer for silage. The pass-round at the side is a little awkward; some users of a child's 'tag-along' might have trouble.
On the left, just behind the far house, is the entrance to a path across the fields, part of the 'Fred Perry Way' which leads to Kinross Avenue (see below.) Note the 'shared path' sign which clearly authorises cycling on what was legally a footpath only until now.
It's a very pleasant ride through what feels like an old country lane. Lights are provided.
Looking back from the end of the MAN part of the path, a 'chicane' has replaced the crude arrangement used in the past. On from here the route continues with a choice of paths which were improved by the Council a few years ago using money from an earlier business development on part of the factory, but the sandstone surfaces are now deteriorating. It is a short walk or cycle from here to Woodsmoor station on a tarmac path. Alternatively, one can join Woodsmoor Lane and head to Stockport Grammar School, or a mostly quiet route towards Bramhall Lane and Stockport.
Here's a view on the Fred Perry way path (also part of the 'Halls Route') which branches off the main route towards Kinross Avenue, which has been diverted to a more scenic route and paves with stone 2 metres wide, intended mainly as a footpath but quite cyclable. These routes have been built by contracts appointed by Bellway Homes, and are made from solid materials. Horses are not permitted on the Fields, so there is no need to use any special materials to suit them.
All in all, well done to all concerned. Why this not on Chris Boardman's 'bee-lines' plan seems to be an omission. The only real downside is the state of Bramhall Moor Lane, which is often very busy with narrow pavements in places. It is possible to cross into the Newby Road Estate and proceed towards Hazel Grove and beyond, but the quiet routes there remain to be improved.
Written in June 2018. Comments welcome at charlie@davenportstation.org.uk
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