Overview

This is one of the 20 stages of the GM Ringway – the new walking trail for Greater Manchester. Stage 3 follows the pretty Ladybrook Valley that weaves through the suburbs of Stockport. Much of the route overlaps with the Ladybrook Valley Interest Trail.

Note that parts of the trail may be damp, muddy and slippery at any time of year and especially after periods of wet weather. Please bear this in mind when planning your trip.

Map and directions

This walk is available on the user-friendly Go Jauntly walking app. Here, photographs and written directions will enable you to follow the route on your phone. You can also download a printable PDF of the directions from the same link.

Alternatively, you can follow the route (without written directions) on the mobile-friendly Plotaroute app. To use Plotaroute on your phone’s browser, simply click the map. Then, when you’re ready to start walking, click the tracker icon (bottom right) to show your position as you follow the route.

We recommend carrying an additional power source and/or map when following online routes on your phone. For any challenging routes, we would recommend that you also have access to and know how to read an Ordnance Survey map.

GO JAUNTLY APP & PDF LINK

Feedback on the route

To give any feedback or notify us of any issues with this route, please click on the button below

FEEDBACK

Highlights include

  • A riverside and woodland link route between Didsbury and Cheadle villages via Abney Hall Park with its waterfall and ponds
  • The Grade I-listed St Mary’s Church in Cheadle village, dating back to 1530
  • Quiet paths along the tree-lined Micker Brook
  • The 70-acre Bramhall Park, with its woodland, ponds, play area and cafe
  • Bramall Hall, a superb Tudor manor house (Grade I-listed)
  • Carr Wood Local Nature Reserve, a beautiful area of semi-ancient woodland in a gorge-like valley.

Accessibility and facilities

– Toilet facilities
– Cafe or pub nearby
– Dogs permitted (on a lead)
– Transport via Metrolink, bus, or train

This is a mainly level route, well-surfaced in places but muddy in several parts after wet weather. It includes one gentle ascent up to Bramall Hall. Because of the varied terrain, the complete walk is not wheelchair or pushchair-friendly. However, there are several well-surfaced and gently graded paths within Bramhall Park and neighbouring Carr Wood. We will be adding step-free and shorter walks on parts of the GM Ringway over the next few months.

Public toilets including accessible facilities are at the visitor centre in Bramhall Park near the end of the route. The many refreshment opportunities are marked on the Plotaroute map.

How to get there

Start point Didsbury Village Metrolink M20 6WE

View start point on Google maps

End point Bramhall train station

View end point on Google maps

All stages of the GM Ringway can be accessed by public transport. This stage links Didsbury Village Metrolink and Bramhall train stations. Currently (early 2023), dogs are permitted on Metrolink tram services. If this is no longer possible, for those with dogs the start is a short way from East Didsbury train station. Both the start and end are also linked by a regular bus service and are served by other buses to and from Manchester, Stockport and elsewhere.

To work out how to get to and from the walk start and end points, click the Google Maps links on this page. Then click ‘Directions’ and enter your postcode or location in the relevant field. Then, for public transport options, click the train icon. Alternatively, input the postcodes shown on this page into the Traveline journey planner.