New B5569 cycle track, Bowdon - Tabley, Cheshire

Just to resurrect this thread... rode the farm cut through for the first time this morning and rather happily shaved 2 miles off my total route. However, I completely agree with the above comments - the bike path following the old road is a total waste of time given that in theory you should have to stop at every adjoining lane, and the surface of it is just awful - the road beside it is much nicer to ride on. Cost cutting and using that chip seal stuff has rendered it a chore to ride on. It clearly doesn't get swept either, and most of it is covered in horse poo. One day they'll get these things right.

No problem.  I asked the official FB group what they are doing about the illegal parking and they say that not all the bollards have been installed so far, so hopefully once that's done things will improve.

@Peow, thanks for the detailed summary.

I agree about the subway at the M6 end - I went through it about a month or so back - it even has mounting steps for the horsey types (not high enough for them to ride through). 

I've used this route a few times now.  While it's a massive improvement over the old A556 (which was a no-go area for cyclists), it still has some stupid problems.  The most obvious is the lack of priority at Millington Lane, Millington Hall Lane, Chapel Lane (this is the most worrying), Bucklow Hill Lane and Bentleyhurst Lane.  It'd have been nice to have priority over the roundabouts but the current layout isn't too bad.  There are 90 degree corners on the entrances to those roundabouts and other junctions though, which is a nuisance because everyone will just cut the corner and make a mess of the path (including me).

There's absolutely no reason beyond the same, tired old car-centric thinking why cyclists can't have priority across these side roads, which will all see low levels of traffic.  Someone is going to fly across one of those junctions and be wiped out, I can see it now.  There are no give way markings on the cycle path, so the legality is questionable.

Another problem is people are beginning to park on the cycle path.  Someone, preferably the police, needs to put a stop to that immediately.

The subway at the M6 is very nicely done, it has automatic lighting and is also designed as a bat corridor.  It lets you get to Old Hall Lane but also Swain's Walk, which is rough but perfectly rideable.

You can get into Altrincham if you like, by using Cherry Tree Lane, crossing the bridge, going past the farm and riding the wrong way around the roundabout, on the footpath.  Trouble is you then have to ride up Durham Road, which is a grand prix from the motorway junction.  I hope the council some day realise that that road doesn't need 4 lanes, and extends the cycle route all the way into Altrincham.  Or they could spend less sending cyclists over the farm access bridge, creating a new path over the Bollin, and straight into the quiet lanes of Bowden.

Probably taking it to the tip after doing his 100k for charity...

Shouldn't those from Bowdon be driving a Porsche?

Thanks for the heads up - much appreciated.