This Stockport Community Cycling Club Angel Meadow ride was a shorter version of the popular Popup Bikes route.

Currently, following coronavirus considerations, SCCC is operating a two small group ride strategy for each route. This week I was leading the second group. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my usual sidekick and second camerawoman Sarah in attendance. Thus, the photos this week are all mine, and taking photos when leading the ride can be tricky!

We also had a tricky route to navigate.

After leaving Cringle Park, we soon joined the Fallowfield Loop, NCN Route 60.

We left the Fallowfield Loop at Gorton.

We wound our way through Gorton.

Including crossing the Ashton Canal. 

Then into Clayton Vale.

After leaving Clayton Vale we entered Philips Park.

After leaving Philips Park we briefly rejoined the Ashton Canal. This took us to the Etihad Campus.

Unfortunately, just after the Etihad Campus one of our riders suffered a puncture.

Soon, we were cycling again and returned to the Ashton Canal.

We left the canal at New Islington.

A little further on and we arrived at Angel Meadow.

St Michael’s Flags and Angel Meadow Park is a public park in Manchester. It has a long history. Today, there are new high-rise office blocks on every side of the park. However, it has been depicted as ‘the vilest and most dangerous slum of the Industrial Revolution’.

St Michael and All Angels Church was built in 1788. The land adjacent to the church became the largest cemetery in Manchester, used for the interment of those who had no family place of burial or were too poor to afford a proper funeral. As social and living conditions worsened some resorted to digging up the cemetery and selling its soil as fertilizer to nearby farmers. The situation became so bad that the Burial Act of 1855 was passed to cover up graveyards with flagstones, hence the name St Michael’s Flags.

After leaving Angel Meadow we made our way towards the city centre.

We walked through Piccadilly Gardens. 

Then weaved our way to St Peter’s Square. 

Then through Deansgate.

After leaving the city centre we made our way towards the universities.

This included testing the latest introduction to cycling infrastructure. We liked it 🙂

From the universities, we entered the terrain of the university accommodations.

We finished with a return along the Fallowfield Loop.

Followed by popping into Cringle Park again.

Our route today had covered 15 miles. It was enjoyed by everyone. We may have thought we knew Manchester, however, as we discovered today, there is much more of Manchester with a history we are unaware of.

You can view our Angel Meadow route below: