Bridgewater Way
63 km / 39 miles
Gtr Man, Halton, Warrington
The Bridgewater Way is a new route being developed in the north-west of England that follows the towpath of the Bridgewater Canal – in Salford, Trafford, Manchester, Warrington, Halton and Cheshire.
The Bridgewater Canal built in the 1760s by the Duke of Bridgewater to carry coal was the first man-made canal in Britain and it started the Canal mania that followed in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries that revolutionised transport in this country and was an integral part of the industrial revolution. Today the canal is well used and maintained but much of the canal towpath is uninviting and unattractive and the project aims to upgrade the towpath for use by pedestrians and cyclists.
The canal is named on OS maps and the first section into Manchester is coincident with the Cheshire Ring Canal Walk.
The distance of 39 miles includes a 3 mile spur into Manchester City Centre.
In December, 2007, Sustrans competed in a public poll for £50 million of Lottery money, spread across 79 projects nationwide for their Connect2 project. The bid was successful and will go towards creating new cycling and walking routes in communities across the UK, including upgrading the Sale section of the Bridgewater Way canalside walk. Peel Holdings/the Bridgewater Canal Trust hope to have the path fully upgraded in time for the Canal's 250th anniversary in 2011 - further funding will be needed. See website below for details.
Details:
| Path Type: | Other Paths |
| Attributes: | Canal; Heritage |
| Start: | SJ510828 - Waterloo Bridge, Runcorn, Cheshire  |
| Finish: | SJ655998 - Leigh Bridge, St Helens Rd, Leigh, Lancashire |
| Web Sites: | http://www.bridgewatercanal.co.uk/bridgewaterbrochure%20.pdf |
| http://www.bridgewatercanal.co.uk |
Maps: |
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| Purchase Ordnance Survey Maps: | |
| OS Landranger: | 108, 109 |
| OS Explorer: | 267, 268, 275, 276, 277 |
| OS Explorer Active: | 267, 268, 275, 276, 277 |
Group Accommodation within 5 Km of this Path:
| Hostel Accommodation: | Manchester YHA, Potato Wharf, Castlefield, Manchester | 4 Km |
Connected Paths:
| E Routes: | E-Route 8 UK Section - Hull to Liverpool |
| Paths Marked on OS mapping: | Cheshire Ring Canal Walk; Delamere Way; Glazebrook Timberland Trail; Irwell Sculpture Trail; Mersey Valley Timberland Trail; Trans Pennine Trail Click to show 3 more Paths Marked on OS mapping |
| Other Paths: | Altrincham Circular; Bollin Valley Way; Salford Trail |
| Anytime Challenges: | Trent and Mersey Canal Walk |
Downloads:
| GPS Exchange Format Route File: | Bridgewater Way GPX Exchange Format Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |
| MemoryMap Route file: | Bridgewater Way Memory Map Route File | Login to Download (Members Only) |
| Tracklogs Route file: | Bridgewater Way Tracklogs Route file | Login to Download (Members Only) |
Route Profile:
| 57.7 Km (35.9 miles) 318 m (1,043 ft) ascent 40 m (131 ft) maximum height |
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