Flixton

Sketch map of Flixton
(Including Davyhulme Millennium NR)

The farmland of Flixton is the westernmost part of the Mersery Valley complex that stretches across Greater Manchester from Stockport. The Mersey joins the Manchester Ship Canal here, the canal forming the border between Flixton and Irlam (and Trafford and Salford). Carrington is on the other side (the old Cheshire side) of the Mersey, if you walk down Flixton Road then continue down Isherwood Road you get to Carrington Moss. As well as the farmland there's a reedbed on the small nature reserve on Jack Lane, a small angler's pond (Dutton's Pond) and, South of the railway line, an area of scrub and willow woodland covering the now-disused canal lagoons.

The bird life is pretty much what you'd expect from any open land and thin woodlands on the edge of an urban area. There's at least one pair of willow tits in the area but there's no guarantee that you'll bump into them on any given visit. (Having said that, keep an ear out for them as you walk along either side of the railway embankment.) You'll usually see kestrels and buzzards; you might see a peregrine falcon  around the canal, they seem to be attracted by the pigeons on Irlam Locks and around Carrington Power Station. 

For a first visit it's probably best to start from Flixton Station, cross the road and walk down Ambleside Road to Dutton's Pool. The buses stopping on Flixton Road by Ambleside Road are the 247 between Altrincham and the Trafford Centre and the 255 from Piccadilly Gardens to Partington. Alternatively you can get off at the stops on Carrington Road and walk down Merseyview (or walk down from the station) — the path starts at the end of Merseyview where the road suddenly turns left into the farm, you turn right here into the trees.

At the bottom of Ambleside Road you reach the bit of thin woodland surrounding Dutton's Pond. All the usual suburban woodland species are around. Turn left for the path alongside Dutton's Pond. The pond usually has a few moorhen and mallards. Down at the bottom of the path the turn to the right takes you along the fields to Jack Lane; the path to the right takes you to the end of Merwell Road. Here you have the choice of walking alongside the railway to Jack Lane and on to the canal or going under the railway and having a wander by the lagoons.

If you go under the railway and carry straight on you'll get to the end of Merseyview. Turn right and follow the paths you'll do a loop back to where you started. (Turn left here and walk down and you're onto Carrington Road.) There's a bit of thin woodland which leads on to open scrub. Here and there along this stretch you can see the river before it lurches off into the distance and as the land rises you overlook the horse paddocks on the farm below. The path turns as you get to the old lagoons, you get good treetop views from here, there's no safe way down to the ground below. Approaching the railway you get back into the thin woodland.

If you go down the lane along the railway embankment you'll pass a couple of fields and then meet Jack Lane Local Nature Reserve. This is made up of two pools, each about the size of Dutton's Pond, one entirely wooded over and one with an extensive reedbed. There's a muddy path between the two that gets you onto Jack Lane. Carry on down alongside the railway embankment and you get to the end of Jack Lane. If you carry on you'll eventually get to the canal; there used to be a path from this point alongside the canal to Irlam Locks but this fell away some time ago and the remains of the path are fenced off at the locks so you can't get through. There's a considerable drop down to the canal from here so I'd suggest you confine yourself to having a look to see what's about then retrace your steps to Jack Lane. 

All the paths towards Jack Lane will lead you into the housing estate at the end of Irlam Road. When you reach Irlam Road turn left and walk down to Irlam Locks. When you get past the cattery the road's no more than a country lane alongside the canal. In Summer the telephone lines are busy with swallows and martins, in Winter they're busy with starlings. There are usually mallards and moorhens on the canal and the locks, look out for dabchicks and kingfishers on the opposite bank. The path ends at the locks by the local water treatment works. Pied wagtails and black-headed gulls feed on the filtration tanks, every so often they'll be joined by oystercatchers and it's always worth looking about to see if anything's stopping by on passage.

Where to now? 

• You could retrace your steps back to Flixton Station. 
• You could walk over the locks into Irlam, cross Cadishead Way and walk down to Fairhills Road. This takes you to Liverpool Road, passing a stretch of the old course of the River Irwell that forms an elongated pond roughly parallel to the canal. The 67 bus between Cadishead and Manchester and the 100 between Hollins Green anf the Trafford Centre then Manchester run along Liverpool Road. If you turn left and walk down half a mile you get to Irlam Station. If you're feeling energetic you could cross  the road and walk up Roscoe Road through Irlam Moss and thence to Little Woolden Moss and Chat Moss.
• You could walk back down Irlam Road, straight over the roundabout and on to Town Gate for the 15 or 256 bus, both of which go through Stretford to Manchester. Or walk on past the schools to the corner of Woodsend Road for the 247 bus.

Davyhulme Millennium Nature Reserve

I've included this site here for convenience's sake. This is a small reserve made up of a few scrubby fields a couple of pools and some young woodland by the canal. It's nice for a short wander round. The entrance is by the Hulme's Ferry quay. To get there, turn off Woodsend Road onto Eddisbury Avenue  (just by the Fox pub and kitchen) and walk down to where it meets Daresbury Avenue then straight over (don't turn right) down Daresbury Avenue to the Ship Canal.

The 15 and the 245 between Altincham and the Trafford Centre stop on Woodsend Road, or you could get the 247 or 256 to the roundabout where Moorside Road meets Woodsend Road and walk up.