Manchester Weekend Walkers lead public transport walks into fantastic countryside all year round.
A moderate linear walk up the middle Irk Valley, passing a number of historical sites, which include the 15th century Middleton Parish Church. Some areas are likely to be muddy.
Tram & bus-based walk
Leader: Phil M, meeting at Walk Start
Transport to Walk Start: 10:36 tram (final destination Bury) from Manchester Piccadilly. Tram also calls at Victoria at 10:45.
Meet Point: On the tram platform at Piccadilly station. Alternatively, meet the group on the tram or at the Metrolink stop in Crumpsall.
Suggested Ticket: Zones 1 and 2 Metrolink single ticket £2.80, plus bus single from Slattocks to Manchester £2.
Walk Start: Crumpsall Metrolink stop at 11:00.
Waypoints: Bowker Vale, Blackley Forest, Alkrington Woods, Alkrington Hall, Middleton Parish Church, Samuel Bamford Peterloo Monument, Elizabethan Grammar School, Boarshaw Clough, Hopwood Woods, Hopwood Hall, Rochdale Canal.
Return Services: From Slattocks: Bus service leaves for Shudehill in central Manchester every 12 minutes.
Extra: Rail strike on this day, and there will therefore be no Northern trains. No toilets on the tram or at Walk Start. Toilets en route in Middleton approximately halfway round. Optional drinks at a pub in Slattocks at the end of the walk.
