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Archive for the ‘Bicycle rides’ Category

Come and join us for a short ride along the Fallowfield Loop to visit and enjoy all the four orchards that David Beetham brought about, between 2012 and 2022. David was instrumental in their funding, planting and maintenance, which continued right up to the week he died, last July. Many of you will know the trees well, having helped plant them and maintain them yourselves over the years.

While the section of the Loop we’ll ride is just an 8 mile round trip (though you could extend your ride by pedalling to the ends of the Floop), we will be spending a few minutes in each orchard, to appreciate the fruit trees which should be starting to bloom at the Fallowfield, Debdale and Levenshulme sites.

We will also have time to enjoy a tea or coffee at the Station South cafe, where we’ll be able to chat and share memories with fellow riders. David’s daughter Helen will be with us on the ride, and other members of David’s family will either cycle with us or be in the cafe. If you would just like to meet up to chat, without cycling, that’s OK, but please let us know you’ll be there.

If you would like to come along, as places are limited, email cycling@SLHeatons.org and say how many adults and children are in your group. To help us plan, please can you do this by 8th April and use that email address if you need other information.

We’ll send further details to those who’ve booked, nearer the time, but we’ll meet at 1:15pm on the larger grass area at Levenshulme Quadrants that’s at the back of Station South and near to the Crayfield Rd entrance to the Floop, please see map. Note that some riders will be meeting in Heaton Chapel earlier and riding over to Station South to join us there.

Expect to be away around 4pm, though you might want to stay chatting at Station South for longer!

Attached are photos of David in the Levenshulme orchard, riders on the Loop near Slade Lane and fruit tree blossom.

Links to articles about David:  on the FotFL website,  Wikipedia and the Guardian.

Hope to hear from you Ian Barker,   Sustainable Living in the Heatons.  Friend of the Fallowfield Loop and Sustrans volunteer.

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Further to the positive response to the opening of barriers on the Loop, the Friends have been delighted that the Mayor of Manchester Carl Austin-Behan and his Consort Simon Austin-Behan have joined in, with a tandem ride to help celebrate the removal of the barriers and easier access to and along the path!  The Lord Mayor and his Consort also met local volunteers and members of the Friends to mark the occasion. Further details are on Sustrans’ website.

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Another year, another Hallowe’en family-friendly bike ride extravaganza!

Hallowe'en Kidical Mass

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Cycle the solar system!

This ride took place as part of Manchester Science Festival!

Participants today joined artist Nick Sayers and astronomer Megan Argo for a three-mile cycle ride along the Loop, exploring our solar system at a scale of 1:1,000,000,000 (one to a billion).  Installations representing the solar system had been set out on the Loop from Chorlton-cum-Hardy to Fallowfield; rides took place in the morning and afternoon, and “planet minders” showed off the respective planets at their measured-out sites.  The riders were able to learn about and appreciate the very different sizes and environments of the Sun, eight planets and asteroid belt and become more familiar with our neighbourhood in space!  Nick wrote afterwards, “A massive solar-system-sized thank-you to all who worked on the project.  It went so much better than I ever anticipated. You’re all complete stars!”  Permanent solar markers along the Loop have been suggested as a follow-up!

Cycle the solar system

Cycle the solar system: (c) Nick Sayers 2015

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Halloween Kidical Mass

Halloween Kidical Mass

Following the success of the first Kidical Mass ride on the Loop a few weeks previously, this was another family bicycle ride, but this time with a Halloween theme!  Once again, there were feeder rides to the start point and the ride was a great success, with similar numbers turning out. Congratulations to Giselle and Lorenza for their organisation of this!

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Kidical Massive Family Ride!

On Saturday 19th September 2015 the world celebrated family-friendly cycling through the event “Kidical Massive“. Members of the Friends of the Fallowfield Group wanted to be part of this fantastic initiative and got together to organise our very own Manchester Kidical Massive ride, along our traffic-free Fallowfield Loop. On the day, assisted by perfect September weather – warm and dry – 30 children and their families came together to enjoy this friendly and fun ride!

The ride left the Loop’s Ladybarn entrance at around 2pm and reached The Quadrant in Levenshulme and Highfield Country Park where riders enjoyed a picnic pitstop. The 1.5-mile ride enabled many children to pedal under their own steam!

The Kidical Massive ride was also enabled by the opening of the barriers along the Fallowfield Loop. Many bikes of all shapes and size were thus able to take part. Two feeder rides were led from Alexandra Park and from Platt Fields Park, and many more users were able to enjoy an accessible Fallowfield Loop from morning till dusk.

The Manchester Kidical Massive ride was one of 5 events in the UK, with many more across the world. Road.cc shares more details on this here.

The great photos of the ride below are from Manchester Friends of the Earth, and these and more pictures can be seen on the Flickr account of Manchester Friends of the Earth.

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