A visit to the Moravian Settlement is a regular destination for one of Stockport Community Cycling Club‘s Wednesday rides. For the Saturday rides, we often bypass the community and instead head a little further on to Manchester Velodrome. So, a cycle ride visiting both promised to be interesting.

It was an overcast, but thankfully sunny morning, as a healthy number of club members met outside Houldsworth Mill. Graham was leading today’s ride and I was the back-leader.

We began by weaving our way through the streets of Reddish.

And on to the Fallowfield Loop.

We followed this route to Fairfield.

We picked up the Ashton Canal.

After a short way journey along the canal we turned on to a path that took us to the Moravian Settlement.

A little further along you jump back in time. For you reach a fantastic little self-contained community. Here there are cobbled streets and Georgian houses dating back to the late 1700s.

The Fairfield Moravian Settlement opened in 1785. Planned and built by Moravian’s, and it was a self-contained village with its own pub, shop, bakery, farm, laundry, fire-engine, night-watchman and doctor. There were separate houses for sisters and brethren. The single men operated a bakehouse and the single Sisters had a farm, a laundry, and produced needlework.

Much may have changed, but it is still a living community.

We then returned to the Ashton Canal.

We followed the canal to the Manchester Velopark.

Here we visited the Velopark Cafe for a coffee and cake.

After the rest, we set off back towards the canal.

Which we followed briefly back towards Reddish.

However, this time we turned off and followed NCN Route 60 which took us back to the Fallowfield Loop.

After briefly retracing the Fallowfield Loop we turned off and worked our way through some more North Reddish back streets.

We cycled through North Reddish Park

Eventually we arrived back at Houldsworth Mill.

This had been a shorter club ride than usual, but no less enjoyable. You can view our Moravian Settlement route below: