Manchester NCC and the Medlock Valley

This route allows you to discover the Medlock Valley and the greenery of east Manchester. From the National Cycling Centre, classed as ‘The Medal Factory’ for training many successful GB athletes, you'll cycle through Clayton Vale, once a land fill site but over three decades nature has taken over and made the area into a beautiful haven for wildlife. The area became a designated Local Nature Reserve in July 2006. From there you meander through the lanes of Medlock Valley until you get to the furthest out point, Daisy Nook, a popular destination in the past for Victorian afternoons out where families would picnic by the river, walk by the canal and along Crime Lake and visit one of the refreshment facilities and that is still the case today. It’s a climb out of Daisy Nook up to Woodhouses Village, a picturesque place overlooking the whole of Manchester and Salford from its lofty position. It’s a quick descent all the way back down to Clayton Vale and back to the NCC.