30th April
Leading: Phil B
Time for another trip into the valley – Sankey Valley. The route is 24 miles and includes cycleways, trails, canal towpath and mainly low-traffic roads. It is unsuitable for a road bike. Most of the 700 feet of ascent occurs in the early part of the ride as we cycle up to Billinge.
We leave the car park, cross the canal into Swan Meadow Road and make our way onto the cycleway at Southgate. We follow the cycleway through the Saddle Junction then enter Alexandra Park. We cross the park following shared pathways and trails before emerging on Billinge Road. We turn into Enfield Street before cycling through Lamberhead Green industrial estate and Redwood estate into Orrell. We bypass Orrell Water Park as we continue our steady climb into Billinge. We then descend to join Carr Mill Road to enter a trail taking us down to Carr Mill Dam. We cycle through the woods around the edge of the dam before joining the Sankey Valley Trail. We ease our way down the trail for six miles or so before leaving to join estate roads at Wargrave. We pass through Wargrave into Newton-le-Willows and continue on generally quiet roads until we reach the East Lancs Road. We carefully cross the busy dual carriageway to join a shared footpath that takes us across Haydock Ràcecourse into Edge Green. We are back on road for a short while before entering the Viridor Nature Reserve. We follow trails across the reserve and alongside the railway into Bamfurlong where we join the canal towpath taking us back into Wigan. A short ride down Pool Street.
Everyone is welcome to join us at the Red Pepper café for a drink and a chat after the ride.
Non members are very welcome to come along for a ride or two before joining, all we ask is that you fill out one of our membership forms before doing so and bring it along with you as well as your own bike & helmet to use on the ride. No need to let us know if you’re coming along, just turn up on the day!
Membership forms are available for you to download from the website (About Us Page)
Previous Thursday Rides
23rd Apr – Phill B: A 25 miles 850 feet. Miry Lane Industrial estate, Springfield, Wigan to Standish cycleway, Green Lane, Standish Mineral Line cycleway, Standish, Old Pepper Lane, Hunger Hill, Tunley Lane, Andertons Mill, Mawdesley, Bispham Green, Hoscar, Newburgh, Higher Lane, Lees Làne, Appley Bridge, Miles Lane, Shevington, Gathurst, canal towpath, Stadium Way, Frith Street and the Wallgate cycleway.
16th Apr – Phil B: 17 miles, 1660 feet. Miry Lane Industrial Estate into Springfield, Beech Hill council estate, Standish Wood Lane, Standish Lower Ground, Wigan Athletic training base, Crooke Village, Shevington, Elnup Woods, Beech Walk, Standish Wigan cycleway, Gidlow Cemetery, Whitley Crescent, Swinley, Leyland Mill Lane, Hall Lane, Whelley Loop Line cycleway, Hindley, Amberswood Nature Reserve, Wigan Cemetery, canal towpath, back to trencherfield
9th Apr – Phil B: 19 mile and 300ft. Towpath to Bamfurlong, alongside railway to Viridor, Golborne, Lowton St Mary’s, Penny Flash, Crankwood, Dover Lock, Bamfurlong, Millers Lane, Amberswood, Westwood Lane and back to Trncherfield.
2nd Apr – Phil B: 24 mile and 1000ft. Westwood Way, Goose Green. Little Lane, Orrell via ‘Banana Bridge’, Billinge, Crank Road, Shaley Brow, Crank, Berrington Lane, Rainford Bypass, Rainford Junction, Digmoor, Upholland, Alma Hill, past Abbey Lakes to Orrell Post, Gathurst Road, Kitt Green, Martland Mill, Brick Stadium and Wallgate back to base.
26th Mar – Phil B: 19 mile and 400ft. Whelley Loop, Amberswood, Low Hall, tracks through to Bickershaw, Fir Tree Flash, Plank Lane, Crankwood, canal towpath, Westwood Way, Parsons Meadow and back to Trencherfield.
19th Mar – Phil B: 20 mile and 660ft. Towpath to Hawkley Woods, Backbone, Three Sisters, Viridor, Edge Green, Trail to Ashton Heath, Skitters Wood, Garswood, trails to Billinge, Windy Arbour, Saddle and back to Trencherfield.
12th Mar – Phil B: 22 mile and 700ft. Westwood Way, Winstanley estate, Windy Arbour, Carr Mill, Sankey Valley, Wargrave, Newton-le-Willows, across Haydock Park, Edge Green, Viridor, Landgate Lane, Devil’s Backbone, Hawkley Woods and back to base.
5th Mar – Phil B: 20 mile and 1100ft. Parsons Meadow, Alexandra Park, Leopold Street, Hall Lane, Orrell, Tontine, Alma Hill, Beacon Country Park, Ashurst Beacon, Long Heys Lane, Lees Lane, track to canal towpath and back to Trencherfield.
26th Feb – Phil B: 25 mile and 800ft. Towpath to Appley Bridge, Lees Lane, Beacon Lane, Newburgh, Back Lane, Hoscar, Mawdesley, Anderton’s Mill, Toogood Lane, Tunley Lane, Pepper Lane, Shevington Moor, Standish Mineral Line and cycleway and back to Trencherfield via Gidlow Lane, Prescott Street and Miry Lane.
19th Feb – Jim T: 21 miles, 845 feet. Trencherfield Mill, Westwood Way, Little Lane, Edge Hall Road, Orrell, Tontine, Alma Hill, Tower Hill Road, Crawford Road, Higher Lane, Rainford, Crank via Alder Lane, Gores Lane, Billinge, Wigan Road, Pemberton Road, Trencherfield Mill via Saddle Junction.
5th Feb – Pete H: 22 mile & 500f.Canal Bamfurlong, alongside railway into Viridor, Golborne, Lowton, Pennington Flash, new cycle way into Leigh, canal to Mather Lane, Guided busway Lilford Park Woodland Trail, alongside Leigh Crematorium to Westleigh Lane and Dangerous Corner, Hindley Amberswood and back to Trencherfield
29th Jan – Denis M: Trencherfield to charnock Richard, then into Eccleston from there into Euxton then back up to Charnock Richard into Wrightington back along pepper lane then home along the the mineral line home all road 22 miles
22nd Jan – Cancelled
15th Jan – Denis M: All road, 22 miles long. Start Trencherfield, Orrell, Up Holland, beacon down into Parbold, stony house lane, Standish back to the red pepper.
8th Jan – Jim T: 21 mile and 500ft Poolstock Meadows, Hawkley Hall, Three Sisters, Viridor, Towpath to Pennington, Crankwood, Kigsdown Flash, Bickershaw, Low Hall, Amberswood, Borsdane, Golf Club, Top Lock and back to Trencherfield