The Davenport Station site is for users of
Davenport railway station, Stockport, England - and for all
the people of Davenport.
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.
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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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