It has been a while since Sarah and I have cycled with Stockport Community Cycling Club, mainly because we are having to prioritise renovating a house. Sarah was due to lead a ride to Gawsworth.  However, when looking out of the window first thing in the morning, and seeing a carpet of white, she decided she was having none of it. Sarah doesn’t ‘bounce’, and didn’t fancy coming off her bicycle. Neither Jim or I fancied cycling down frosty country lanes, so we put together a shorter, more urban route to Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport.

I led the ride, and Jim was the back-leader. Amazingly, in spite of the cold, there were sixteen of us. Sarah, in the meantime, went off to continue renovating the house.

We left Bramhall Library and began by making our way towards Cheadle Hulme.

Then continued on to Heald Green.

We picked up the path alongside Simonsway and followed this for a few miles.

Indeed, we followed the Simonsway path further than we intended and had to retrace our steps a little.

This time, we turned off on to Portway.

This took us through Wythenshawe, and to the Airport Relief Road.

We joined the Airport Relief Road and headed in the direction of Hazel Grove.

Along the way, at Handforth, we crossed over the A34 into Spath Lane. A little further on we have to cross over the Airport Relief Road. This involves a short steep little rise up to a bridge. Martin took the opportunity to show how easy an e-bike makes these climbs

At Hazel Grove, we stopped for a break at the Topiary Restaurant in Brookside Garden Centre. Sarah joined us and enjoyed a gluten-free soup and barm.

We finished this short cycle ride by heading down Dean Lane and finally the back-streets of Bramhall.

We had cycled nearly 20 cold miles. In spite of the cold, everyone had still managed to enjoy getting on their bikes. Sometimes, there is something special about cycling on a crisp wintry morning.

You can view our Wythenshawe route below: