Neston to Hooton along the Wirral Way
Distance 4 miles
Car Parking: Station Road, Neston; Hooton Stations
Nearest Railway Stations: Neston (Wrexham/ Bidston line), Hooton (Merseyrail)
Nearest cycle repair: Pedal Power, Burton 0151 336 8766 until 8 p.m.: K Cycles, 1186 New Chester Road, Eastham 0151 327 1594 or via email: dave@kcycles.com
Hadlow Road Station is preserved as it was when the railway closed to passengers in 1956.
- Cycle along Station Road, Neston, and join the Wirral Way at Mellock Lane. The sandstone cutting
can be wet at the bottom of the ramp by Mellock Lane. - After two miles, Hadlow Road station offers toilets, and there are pubs and a café in Willaston.
- At Heath Lane, continue straight ahead via a narrow gap in the wooden fence.
- The ride ends at Hooton Road, right by the railway station.
This ride is mostly off-road and fairly level. There is a gradient up from Mellock Lane to the wooden bridge over Cuckoo Lane. There is a steep ramp at Mellock Lane, and at Hooton Road, and another at Lees Lane, where the County Council dumped rubbish before the brilliant idea of making the old railway line into a linear country park. At Neston you go along the quiet Station Road, and cross the busy Mellock Lane.
Most of the Wirral Way is divided into a horse track and a combined cycle/ pedestrian track; please slow down for pedestrians, give plenty of warning of your approach and be ready for dogs to walk in front of your bike. The cutting shows where the sandstone was cut by hand. The bridges were made wide enough for the track to be doubled.
