Mersey Valley: Sale Water Park to Chorlton Water Park

Mersey Valley: Sale Water Park to Chorlton Water Park

The stretch of the Mersey Valley between Streftord and Chorlton Water Park is an easily-accessible complex of fields and wet woodland bookended by two small lakes. The Northwestern end — Stretford Ees and Sale Water Park — are part of the local flood defences; the central belt is the remains of old farmland; and the Southeastern end is the remains of old landfill. Consequently most of the wild landscape is quite young but this doesn't stop it providing hours of productive birdwatching. I find it better to spend a couple of hours walking round part of the complex rather than trying to take it all in one go.

Chorlton Water Park

The red lines on the map show the most straightforward access points to the complex.

Coming in from Stretford town centre or Stretford tram stop, walk down Edge Lane to the junction with Kings Road. Cross Edge Lane here and go straight down Lime Road and through Stretford Cemetery. Once you reach the path on the other side turn left and carry on. This path effectively acts as the boundary between Stretford Ees and the playing fields of Turn Moss and carries on to the bridge over Chorlton Brook and into Chorlton Ees.

Chorlton Ees

If you turn right as you come out of the Cemetery the path goes under the tram bridge and the canal aquaduct and becomes Hawthorn Road. Go through gate at the top of the road and follow the path that doubles back under the bridges, this takes you down to a bridge over the river and into Sale Water Park.

The 84a bus goes from Trafford General Hospital to Merseybank via Urmston, Stretford and Chorlton and goes down Ivygreen Road in Chorlton towards the Bowling Green pub. Footpaths in this area bring you into Ivy Green, the top end of Chorlton Ees or Hardy Farm.

The 23, 23A and 25 buses from Stretford to Stockport and the 86 bus from Manchester to Chorlton go down Barlow Moor Road. Get off at the stop by Chorlton Park School. Alternatively, get the Airport tram from Manchester and get off at Barlow Moor Road. Cross the road into Hardy Lane and follow the tram lines down to the bottom of the road. The path here brings you into Hardy Farm.

Sale Water Park is the next tram stop after Barlow Moor Road. Get off here to cross over the road into Sale Water Park or turn right and walk up the road to Jackson's Boat.

The 23, 23A and 86 buses continue down Barlow Moor Road past Southern Cemetery. Get off at the stop after the Crematorium, cross over and walk down Maitland Avenue to get to Chorlton Water Park.

Chorlton Water Park

Chorlton Water Park is a small lake bordered by trees and a good path. It's very popular with walkers and anglers. Mallard, gadwall and tufted ducks can be found all year round and great-crested grebes breed here. In Winter there may be pochard, goldeneye or goosander. The island at the car park end usually has a few cormorants hanging round it. Check out the overhanging branches on the island on the opposite end for kingfishers. You'll usually be able to hear ring-necked parakeets, you often may see them on the feeders in the car park or in the tops of the poplars over near the play area. The trees around the lake attract all the usual suspects, including siskins in Winter.

Tufted duck, Chorlton Water Park

Barlow Tip meets the Water Park at the end opposite the car park. There are a couple of paths into it: a rough one going uphill towards the top of the mound and a much better path leading diagonally across the tip from the corner by the river. There's a maze of rough paths in this area, many of them leading precisely nowhere, a few get you back where you started and a couple lead you to the path by the river. The waste tip was capped with clay when it was abandoned so don't think just because you're on slightly higher ground the ground won't get any wetter! The mosaic of bits of wet woodland and small open spaces suits warblers quite nicely.

Barlow Tip

Barlow Tip is fenced off on two sides by a golf course. You can either return to Chorlton Water Park or take a walk by the river.

River Mersey

Along this stretch of the Mersey Valley the river is a nice, well-behaved length of water skirted by high grassy banks. There's usually a few mallard and Canada geese on the river, in Winter there may often be goosander. Grey wagtails breed here and can often be seen bobbing round on the rocks at the water's edge. In Winter it's worth checking out the alders and larches along the stretch by the golf course to see if there are any lesser redpolls amongst the goldfinches.

Grey wagtail, River Mersey

Approaching Jackson's Boat the tram line goes across the river. The bit of scrap ground here has been tidied up a bit lately but is still worth a look to see what's about. In tattier days I've heard Cetti's warbler singing from here but I don't hold much hope for one of them to return any time soon.

Ring-necked parakeets, Jackson's Boat

Ring-necked parakeets show well round here and particularly like perching in the trees around Jackson's Boat pub. Buzzards drift overhead, once in a while you might see a raven fly over.

From here you have three choices: bob over the bridge to Sale Water Park, turn right and walk through Hardy Farm into Chorlton or carry on straight ahead through Chorlton Ees towards Stretford. You can also walk through Hardy Farm or Chorlton Ees through to Ivy Green.

On either side you can walk down the river to the bridge by the Altincham tram line. It's a nice walk in good weather but from a birdwatching perspective it tends to be like being on the oustide looking in.

Chorlton Ees is like a bigger, rather older and mostly drier edition of Barlow Tip. Hardy Farm and Ivy Green tend to be more open and slightly drier again than Chorlton Ees. The paths tend to be quite good. There's some good woodland birdwatching here, with all the joys and frustrations that brings. In Winter you may strike lucky and see a woodcock.

Crossing the river at Jackson's Boat there are two ways of getting into Sale Water Park. You can walk down the road, pass the tram stop and get in near the visitor centre or you can walk a little way along the river and join the path running parallel to the road, which is a nicer walk so long as it's not pouring down. There's a seat by the side of the visitor centre; I'd advise sitting here for a while as it overlooks a feeding station that attracts the local willow tits.

Willow tit, Sale Water Park

Sale Water Park is a busy watersports area. Even so, it attracts a good number of ducks and gulls and a decent herd of Canada geese. Goosander are regular in Winter. Following the path along the North of the lake you eventually come to Broad Ees Dole. This is a pair of ponds surrounded by willows. A concrete hide overlooks the larger pond. In days gone by there was a wader scrape here, these days you'll see teal and dabchicks and possibly hear water rail. Resuming the path you'll often get nice views of teal on the smaller lake.

Broad Ees Dole

The path carries on around the Water Park or you can turn right and onto the bank of the river. From here you can either walk back down the river to Jackson's Bridge or cross here to walk down to Stretford.