I have been struggling with a sore shin for the last week or so, making walking painful. So, we decided upon a shortened ride this week, and since I needed to recce the upcoming Stockport Community Cycling Club‘s Tour De Stockport ride, it seemed a good idea to combine the two.

It was a lovely sunny Sunday morning when five of us met near Woodsmoor station.

Our route began with us weaving our way through the streets of Woodsmoor and Bramhall in order to reach Bramhall Park. 

We then cycled up the avenue and took in a view of the hall.

Before continuing on towards Hall Road.

Continuing on through Bramhall we cycled down Tenement Lane.

Followed by crossing Ladybridge Road and then into Ladybrook Cycleway.

This took us through to Cheadle Heath, where we joined NCN Route 558.

We followed the twists and turns of NCN Route 558 through to Edgeley, and up Cheadle Old Road as it made its way between Alexandra Park and Sykes’ Reservoir.

Past that fantastic local citadel, also known as Edgeley Park, home of the mighty Stockport County!

From Edgeley, we dropped down towards the River Mersey.

Our route then took us up through Heaton Norris.

Then down to the town centre.

Taking in the point at which the River Goyt meets the River Mersey.

We cycled around the edge of the town centre by picking up the cycle paths along Newbridge Lane.

Eventually, we reached the new cycle path which currently takes you past Pear Mill and into Woodbank Park.

After leaving Woodbank Park, we made our way through Offerton.

This included a short section of the Fred Perry Way.

We cycled through the grounds of the old Offerton High school.

Then down into the valley of Offerton estate.

From Offerton, we made our way towards Hazel Grove. We passed an abandoned cycle on our travels …

Finally, it was back to Woodsmoor.

Including a quick loop around Mirrlees Fields.

We had cycled a little over 15 miles on this route. It had been an enjoyable and gentle ride, and along some sections some of our riders hadn’t been before. Sometimes, you don’t have to go far to enjoy a cycle ride and do a bit of exploring.

You can view our Tour De Stockport Recce route below: