The Salford Trail

The Salford Trail - Walk only, for copying.

For those wishing to use an Ordnance Survey map along with the walk instructions, the Explorer 277 covering Manchester and Salford and Explorer 276 covering Bolton, Warrington and Wigan are the ones to use.

Trail, part one, Salford Quays to Clifton. 11.8 miles
Begin, by walking towards the exit from Salford Quays next to the Copthorne Hotel. Do not go onto Trafford Road, but turn right just before the exit and walk towards the canal side and the former Trafford Road swing bridge. The bridge is now fixed and no longer swings as it once did, to allow ships to pass through.
Pass under the bridge and behind the Exchange Quay office buildings and the Colgate Palmolive Soap factory and along the waters edge. This route does not cross any roads and is immediately onto the trail.

Walk along the river under the first bridge, which is a footbridge passing from Salford to Hulme, known locally as Mark Addy's bridge. After that a road bridge carries Regent Road over the river then a small stone bridge passing over the water as it enters a small basin at the side. There are then a series of bridges of various types carrying road and rail.

It is just after these bridges that another small stone bridge used to stand, similar to the one at the council yard basin. This is the end of the canal that runs through Salford from Bolton and Bury before entering the river Irwell The canal has been closed for many years, but after much campaigning and final agreement from British Waterways it is soon to reopen.

walk on and under the next bridge, which is under Irwell Street. This is the last bridge along this section of the river. Shortly after it, climb the steps going forward to Stanley Street and back to street level at the side of the pub on the banks of the river called The Mark Addy,
From this point the riverside walk runs out and one has to travel across the oldest part of Salford.

At the end of Stanley Street turn left and walk under the arches towards Chapel Street and turn right, proceed under more railway arches and past the large white building of the Salford Income Tax Office. A little further on lies Sacred Trinity Church. Pass by to the left of the church and cross over the main road to Gravel Lane, which runs under the railway arches and carry on along Gravel Lane to the junction of the road with Greengate.

Walk across Greengate to New Bridge Street and behind the company of Bentley’s Calender Bowl Manufacturers, there is access back to the river Irwell via a sloping walkway. The walk is now along the banks of the river for some distance, staying on the left hand side. Cross over the road at Broughton Bridge on Great Clowes Street. and carry on along the riverside walk on the opposite side on the left hand side of the river.
The path eventually comes to the Adelphi Footbridge. Cross the bridge ** At this point an extension of half a mile can be made by turning left towards the end of Meadow Road and taking a new shale path around The Meadows playing fields, which follow the whole bend of the river culminating back at the same spot ** If not bear right along Meadow Road for about 220 yards, where Hough Lane Footbridge crosses the river again into Peel Park. Looking down into the water, it will be seen that the river is flowing in a different direction from the previous bridge. This is because the walk has cut across a giant bend in the river.

Turn right in the park and head outwards, now against the flow of the river. At the end of the park and playing fields, cross the road and turn right over the large bridge crossing the river at Frederick Road. Immediately after crossing the bridge turn left into a riverside pathway, where about 160 yards along there is another bridge, crossing to the opposite side of the river. After crossing the bridge turn right and follow the river to the next road where the Albion Casino stands on the left. Cross the road and pass through the large double iron gates. This may involve passing through the central gap of the gates, which are chained in the middle to avoid full opening. This is perfectly legal as it is a right of way. The measure is just to deter unauthorised vehicular access. You are now inside what was the former Castle Irwell Racecourse.

The path now takes a complete tour of the extremities of the former racecourse following the whole of the bend of the river. The path can be followed all the way round or a short cut can be taken by cutting across the fields after the football pitches, in a diagonal line to save about a mile of walking. The aiming point is the same, i.e. the humped back footbridge that crosses the river facing the blocks of apartments on the opposite side.

On the opposite side of the river the walk now takes a loop of two miles, returning back to the same spot. There is the opportunity to cut out those two miles if wishing to do so. If not, turn right and walk alongside the river in the opposite direction, but this time not along the very edge. The paths are well marked and there are board walks in some places. The path eventually rises up to the area of Broughton known as the Cliff or the Landslide. At the top a magnificent view can be had, looking back over the former racecourse and beyond.

Turn left and walk out onto Bury New Road turning left again. Follow the road for 270 yards and then turn left down Blackfield Lane bearing right at the end to emerge at Moor lane in front of St Paul’s Church. Walk to the left hand side of the church and on to Kersal Moor there are many paths across the moor and the hill in the middle of the moor is the highest place in Salford at roughly 260 feet above sea level. Follow the paths to the left to the end of the moor in front of Oaklands Road,

Walk down Oaklands Road for about 200 yards and take the rising path on the left next to the nursery school, the path goes round the back of the school and then descends back towards the river Irwell at the point were the hump back bridge was crossed. Turn right and follow the Irwell Valley Way signs onto Littleton Road. Turn right at Littleton Road and about 180 yards along, on the left is a footpath at the side of the playing fields.
Take the path to the end where it crosses over the river via a large iron footbridge - Jubilee Bridge - and turn right. Follow the river along past the cemetery to Agecroft Road, cross over the road and immediately drop back down onto the path on the left hand side of the river.

Passing the Forest Bank Prison on the left, the walk is now alongside the river Irwell for about two miles before reaching the Clifton Country Park. The dry bed of the former canal running through Salford to Bolton and Bury can be seen on your left. with some short stretches of it that contain water.

After about two miles the sound of the M62 Motorway will become evident and just before it you will see the Clifton Viaduct over the river. Just below it is the Clifton Aqueduct, which used to carry the canal over the river. At this point it is a straight walk under the motorway bridge into Clifton Country Park. However the path from here on can be quite muddy for the next hundred yards or so.

There is an opportunity to take a short diversion just before the aqueduct and viaduct.
On the left a footpath sign shows a path away from the riverside with factories running on either side. Follow the path to its end and rise onto the road outside the factories, turn right and head towards the Pilkington Tiles factory with the railway on your left hand side. Enter the factory and walk straight ahead. This is a public right-of-way, but care should be taken, as fork lift trucks and lorries run through the yard. The pathway leads directly into Clifton Country Park or if you please, near the end of the factory yard another footpath sign points to the right, which leads back to the riverside.

For those wishing to complete a short section of the walk via public transport, this could be an ideal start or finish to the section. Bus Numbers 71 and 73 run between Clifton Junction and Manchester via Pendleton, Salford Shopping City, Ordsall, Castlefield and Shudehill. The Number 71 is an early morning workers service and the 73 running throughout the day as a shopping service. The bus runs directly to the entrance of Pilkington Tile Company and takes one hour between Shudehill and Clifton. The number 72 is an hourly service between Salford Shopping City, Pendleton and Clifton, Monday to Saturday between 0800 to 1600 from Clifton and 0835 to 1635 from Pendleton. The bus service links up with railway stations along the route.

The Clifton Country Park is quite big and is worthy of exploration on its own before continuing on the walk. There is a Visitors Centre and a large lake to walk around, with picnic and children’s play areas. There are plenty of birds to be seen on the lake and for those interested in Industrial Heritage the site was once home to the Wet Earth Colliery.

PartTwo Clifton to Walkden. 9.15 miles.

There are a number of paths that leave Clifton Country Park to the left, after entering the park, all of them either crossing over or under the nearby railway. The only advantage of choosing the right path is a shorter walk along the A666 to the turn off to the next footpath. The first is at the side of a small pond after you enter the park from under the motorway. Turn left to the right of the pond and climb the path, crossing over the railway and eventually emerging behind St Anne’s Church, on the A666. Cross over the road bearing right and turn down Moss Colliery Road at the side of Clifton Court.

At the end of Moss Colliery Road follow the path past a row of cottages on the right and some smallholdings and Clifton Moss Farm on the left. Eventually turning left and taking a path over the M62 Motorway. Once over the motorway turn right and follow the path at the edge of the fields adjacent to the motorway for about 800 yards. At the end of the field the path meets one of the very few stiles on the walk and passes through a yard of Wardley Grange Farm, which is a winter storage for caravans. Keep straight ahead for less than 50 yards and turn left into a wide lane. Follow the lane to its end and cross the A6, turning right and walking towards the motorway overhead. Turn left into Wardley Hall Road just before the Motorway.

Turn left before the hall and walk down to the cemetery. The footpath runs to the left of the main gates and goes round the outer perimeter of the cemetery and emerges onto the East Lancashire Road. The footpath continuation is directly in front on the opposite side of the road, although the official crossing is about 100 yards further up the road. Turn right and walk along to the crossing, just before the M61 Motorway passing overhead.
Cross the road and turn back to the footpath next to the electricity pylon. Take the short walk along Richmond Drive with houses on the left and fields on the right for about 400 yards, to a footpath at the end of the Drive, then take the path into the fields on the right. Follow the path until it passes through Wardley Woods and ends in a small group of houses with the motorway running alongside. Walk alongside the path adjacent to the motorway until it emerges onto Greenleach Lane, over which, the motorway passes. Turn right under the motorway and turn right on to Roe Green. Keep to the right hand side of the Green to Wardley Hall Lane and turn from it into Lyon Grove and exit at the top right of the Grove through a kissing gate onto the East Lancashire Road. Walk along the East Lancs Road to Old Clough Lane and cross over to the opposite side via the crossing point there.

Turn to the right and walk along past the Ellesmere Golf Course. At the side of the golf course a footpath runs between it and the motorway access road. Follow the footpath for about 800 yards through a wooded area to the end of the golf course where the path crosses a railway. Immediately after crossing the railway turn left along a path that runs at the side of the railway for a short distance before it turns right at the end of a field then take the footpath immediately on the left, almost opposite the gate of the field, which runs through a narrow path with fields on the left and the local fishing club premises on the right. At the end of the path cross the A6 and take up the continuity of the path on the opposite side of the road.

Follow the path through the middle of the field until a coppice is reached on the right and take the path that turns to the left and head towards a short row of cottages. Turn left at the cottages and walk to the end of the lane past the Linnyshaw Garden Centre. Just after the Garden Centre there is a choice of two paths to the right, take the first path.
This path leads straight into the Blackleach Country Park.

From Blackleach Country Park leave on the right hand side opposite to the Visitors Centre and cross the A575 Worsley Road North. Immediately after crossing drop down back on to the Loop Line path at the beginning of Grosvenor Road and walk on until an open area is reached with bright coloured pathways in green and red tarmac.

Take either of the two main paths -green, or red - which meander across the open fields heading towards the overhead power lines, culminating at the same spot on the opposite end of the open space.

Pass through the gate onto Cleggs Lane and cross immediately over the road, bearing left for less than 100 yards to the small black and white traffic roundabout, then turn right into the entrance of a large open area of football pitches bordered on the right, by trees
A footpath passes alongside the left of the fields for about 700 yards before bearing left onto a loop line.

It is now a straight walk along a section of the loop line for 1.8 miles to Walkden railway station and the end of the second part of the trail.
Follow the loop line passing under a number of road bridges before passing under a railway bridge then two more road bridges. At this point take the option of exiting the line to the left via the stepped access point and the very short walk to Walkden railway station or the nearby bus route.

Part three Walkden to Worsley 5.7 miles.

From Walkden Railway station turn left and cross two side streets to Birch Road where a path at the side of the bridge drops down to the loopline footpath, turn left and a little further on from the outlet to Walkden Railway station another road bridge is encountered, this is the A580 East Lancashire Road, pass under it and about 100 yards further on take a path to the right which climbs into a field via two sets of wooden steps, rising no more than four feet. Cross the field in a straight line to find another path that drops down from the field via steps onto another Loop Line. Turn right and walk along for 550 yards, before again passing under a four way junction of the A580 East Lancashire Road. another 300 yards further on take the footpath that rises to a stone bridge, which crossed the former railway. Turn to the left and follow the path to the end of the field to emerge onto the A580 and cross to the path, which continues directly on the opposite side of the road.

Leaving the A580 behind, carry on for another 550 yards as far the Marriot Hotel and turn right just before it, at the side of the golf course car-park. Carry on along the footpath around the golf course for about 800 yards and then turn left and follow another footpath, passing by the Ellesmere Memorial before meeting up with the next road, which is the A572 Leigh Road. At most points around the golf course the memorial is visible and can be used as a marker for direction, although it is not approached in a straight line. Walk round the path that skirts the field in which the memorial stands and take the path out onto Leigh Road.

Turn right onto Leigh Road and about 275 yards along turn left down the road that leads to the Garden Centre. Pass by the garden centre and carry on across the fields to the side of the Bridgewater Canal.

*** At the time of writing December 2007, this path is closed for essential maintenance work and no opening date is given. This is one of the few concessionary paths on the route so the closure is perfectly legal. By walking further along Leigh Road one can access the canal side and the Moorings further on. ***

If it is open, turn right and follow the canal to the marina area on the canal known as The Moorings a canal side pub has the same name. Cross over the bridge to the opposite side of the canal and turn left towards Worsley and go under the road until an iron and stone bridge is reached. Cross over the bridge on to Worsley Green.

Part four, Worsley to Cadishead 15.1 miles

This leg of the walk although shown as one distance of 15.1 miles can be split into two distinctive legs of around 8 miles each with Irlam railway station as the halfway mark. Walking it in two distinctive legs increases the total distance a little.

From Worsley Green a few yards before the Delph is Mill Brow. Walk up Mill Brow and into Worsley Woods. Pass through the woods alongside the Old Warke Dam. As the end of the dam is reached a black and white Tudor style cottage will be found in the woods, turn right at the side of the cottage and carry on until a flight of steps are reached. Descend the steps on to the Loop Line footpath and turn right. It is now a straight walk of about one mile to its end at Monton. After about 550 yards the path runs through the former Worsley railway station and the platforms can still be seen.

Follow the Loop Line to its end at Monton, turn right at Monton Green and cross the bridge over the canal. Get on to the canal on the right hand side next to the pub named The Waterside. Directly across from the Monton Lighthouse.

Follow the canal for half a mile until a railway bridge crosses over head. Leave the canal behind at this point and turn right taking a path that runs parallel with the railway line, it being on your right hand side for about 950 yards before coming to Worsley Brook. At the brook turn left on either side of it and follow the path over the fields, if you turn before crossing the brook there will be a need to cross over a small stone bridge later. Both paths lead to the same point. At the end of the path turn right and pass under the motorway emerging into Brookhouse Avenue, turn left and then right into Senior Road, At the end of Senior Road where it turns right and becomes Northfleet Road there is a short passage with concrete stumps at the end of it. Walk down the passage to emerge on to Verdant Lane at the side of the cemetery.

Turn right and walk at the side of the cemetery until a footpath is reached at the end. As the footpath is approached at the end of the road it appears to be blocked off by a fence, but it is open, with a offset gap in the middle. Once on the path go straight ahead at the side of the cemetery onto the moss land and the outer edge of Barton Aerodrome. Turn right and then left, following the outer edge.

The path eventually runs at the side of Tunnel Farm, turn right and pass in front of the farm house and walk for 200 yards and pass over the motorway. Turn left after passing over and walk for 400 yards with the motorway on the left. After 400 yards the road bears right and straightens out. The name of this road is Twelve Yards Road although its length is just short of two miles, in an absolutely straight line with fields and moss land on either side. Twelve Yards Road ends at Astley Road. The Road is tree lined for much of its length with intermittent gaps of wide open spaces.

At the end of Twelve Yards road turn left at Astley Road. Walk along Astley Road for 1600 yards until a fork in the road is reached. - Note the unusual names of two of the farms along the way. Ebeneezer Farm and Hephzibah Farm. - Follow the right hand lane until a footpath sign is reached on the right hand side.

**At this point the walk can be shortened for a quick exit route to the Irlam railway station or the A57 road to Warrington and back into Salford by bus. If this is required carry on down Astley Road for 825 yards until it meets the A57, then turn right for Irlam rail station or the nearest bus stop. The total distance for this leg is 8.56 miles. **

If continuing on the longer distance take the footpath across the fields. The footpath continues for about 940 yards and passes by Rosebank Farm and on to a lane via a stile. Turn right after the stile and walk straight on past Woolden View Farm and over the M62 Motorway passing Birch Tree Farm, Little Haven and Ring Pit Farms, before reaching a path, which runs through a wooded area and emerges onto a large peat bog. At the edge of the bog it is clearly signposted showing the pathway as turning to the right and skirting the edge of the bog to a point which is in a direct line ahead, where there is a stile.

The Ordnance Survey map shows the path and right of way as a straight line over the bog. Either way is acceptable and walking over peat is quite an experience, with the ground being soft and springy, underfoot.

Cross the stile and follow the path which is across some ‘set aside’ land, which at certain times of year will be in full growth of wild flowers and a need to push through. After about 160 yards an open track is reached. Turn left and follow the track to another wide path to the right, which runs between fields with farms on either side.

The hard based track now passes a number of farms close together. These are Moss Lodge Farm, Red House Farm, and White Gate Farm on the right and Platt House Farm on the left. Walk to the end of this road and turn left where another farm, Moss Side Farm, is just around the corner. Walk along the road for 770 yards to where a signpost points to the right over a metal footbridge and immediately after another signpost points to the left. This is the extreme edge of Salford at its border with Astley. Take the second path to the left past Moss House Farm.

The path is now more or less a straightforward route to the finish, running parallel with the Glaze Brook passing Little Woolden Hall crossing over the M62 motorway and through Great Woolden Hall Farm then under the railway line to the bus terminus or to the A57 bridge over the Glaze Brook, just before Hollins Green. The Salford Trail ends here.

There are transport links in most directions, Glazebrook railway station is less than a mile up the B522.
Irlam railway station is less than 1 mile back in the direction of Salford and the number 100 bus passes by on its way from Warrinton.

A walk back along the trail to the large green in front of the housing estate is where the terminus of the number 67 bus can be found, providing a direct route through Eccles and Salford to Shuedhill Manchester.