This there-and-back route follows the River Mersey. The route is mostly dirt pathways, but the ground is fairly flat and even. The route is simple and easy to follow so if you’re looking to get lost in your thoughts on a good run, this is the one for you.
Click here to populate this route on Google Maps
Route overview
On the station side of the East Didsbury railway bridge, you will find a mural of Emily Williamson, who formed the Society for the Protection of Birds alongside the Great Crested Grebe, which was hunted to near extinction. You will also see Louis Paulhan’s biplane, which flew from London to Manchester in a race. Daniel Adamson, an engineer and pioneer of the Manchester Ship Canal, is also featured on the wall. On the Tescos side of the bridge, you will find Andrew Carnegie, who funded the Chorlton Library and around 660 other Carnegie libraries in the UK and Ireland. Amongst these figures are Margaret Ashton, the first female councillor in Manchester, and Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw nee Timpson, who became deaf at eight years old but was a respected mathematician and expert on magic number lattices. Other images include the Eagle Gate, the Rhodes Memorial clock tower, the BAFTA mask and sketches, the Fletcher Moss Rangers FC badge, and molecules which represent graphene.
East Didsbury Railway Bridge. Credit: Dunk
Head down Wilmslow Road, away from the murals behind you. Just after the road curves to the right, turn left into Stenner Lane to find the Parsonage Gardens on your right, then turn right at the end of the road to find the entrance to Fletcher Moss Gardens. Thereafter, join the National Cycle Route 62. Cross over the second bridge you see (after Simon’s Bridge).
Part 1 of the 20km River Mersey Run Manchester with Mapl
Fletcher Moss Park and Parsonage Gardens are favourite spots for Mancunians to visit. They have both received numerous awards from the Royal Horticultural Society and Fields in Trust and have been featured in several television shows, including Coronation Street. The gardens were publicly accessible from 1915 and were once home to a Botanical Garden, but sadly, this is no longer the case due to a lack of funding. Nonetheless, there are still some fascinating and rare trees and plants to see. The park and gardens aim to be one of the most sustainable in Manchester by choosing plants and horticultural practices that are better for the planet. Nearby, the Grade II-listed Old Parsonage building has been preserved and restored to last. Today, it is used as a community hub with art exhibitions, classes, workshops, seminars and more. You can find out more here about opening times and events. The Fletcher Moss Gardens are open every day from dawn to dusk.
Fletcher Moss Park. Credit: Reddit
Parsonage Gardens. Credit: Julia Houghton
The route is very simple after crossing the bridge, simply follow the pathway along the river.
Kenworthy Woods was once a tipping zone and has now been declared a local nature reserve, which helps protect natural features and wildlife habitats. Housed here is a variety of flora, fauna, and fungi species.
Kenworthy Woods. Credit: Let’s Ride
Jackson’s Bridge dates from around the 1880s to allow travellers to cross over without needing a ferry. Pedestrians then needed to pay a half-penny toll fee to cross the bridge on foot, a full penny if they had a bicycle, and no fee if they had business at the inn. Some tried to avoid this fee by simply climbing along the side of the bridge, holding onto the girders! A local once shared the story that in WW2, their father was in the Home Guard and had to guard the bridge at night. There was a shortage of weapons at the time, so he was given a wooden rifle. At the end of the bridge, you will find Jackson’s Boat or the Bridge Inn. The original building was constructed in 1663 and was named the Old Greyhound. As it was located somewhere quiet, Jacobites used to meet here illegally in the 18th century during the uprisings. John Alldridge once described the Inn as “the perfect spot, indeed, for hatching plots and counterplots.” In the late 1700s, a local farmer named Jackson, decided to run a ferry boat across the river for extra income. By the early 1800s, two boats were running, but it was still not enough and had to be discontinued in 1816. The Old Greyhound was then renamed the Bridge Inn but still goes by Jackson’s Boat in memory of the farmer.
Jackson’s Boat. Credit: Jackson’s Boat
Click here to populate this route on Google Maps
Resources:
If you enjoyed this route, see our Half-marathon Route
Download the GPX file here.
Remember to download our app here.