Walking and Cycling Links to RHS Garden Bridgewater

People cycling

RHS Greenway is a scheme to improve walking and cycling links to RHS Garden Bridgewater in Worsley and to other local facilities, including Walkden train station, Parr Fold Park and Boothstown Marina. This plan to improve sustainable travel in Salford received overwhelming endorsement at a public consultation in early 2020.

Funded jointly by the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund, Growth Deal and Salford City Council, the scheme when complete will connect residents of Boothstown, Walkden and Worsley with RHS Garden Bridgewater. It will provide 6.2km of new or upgraded walking and cycling routes, 4.6km of which will be traffic free with a link along the Bridgewater Canal.

Several phases of the route are now complete, these include:

  • A traffic-free route along the north of the Bridgewater Canal linking Worsley (via Worsley Court House car park off Barton Road) and Boothstown (via Quayside Close) to RHS Garden Bridgewater;
  • New pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities on the East Lancashire Road (A580), Leigh Road (A572), Walkden Road (A575) and Birch Road.

Work will soon be underway to complete the final phases which include:

  • An enhanced north-south route from Walkden Station to the garden, also linking to the A580 Guided Busway, which will connect with Leigh Road;
  • A refurbishment of Booths Hall Bridge over the canal at Boothstown;
  • The route will also connect into the existing traffic-free network in Salford, including the Bridgewater Way, Roe Green loopline and Tyldesley loopline.

There is a Green Travel offer available for visitors to RHS Garden Bridgewater travelling by bike or on foot. Please see below for details about how to get to the garden using the RHS Greenway from different directions.

Directions to access the route along the north of the Bridgewater Canal between Worsley and Boothstown are as follows:

  • Access from Boothstown is via Quayside Close
  • Access from Worsley is via Worsley Court House car park off Barton Road
  • Continue along the route until you reach the signs indicating the entrance to RHS Garden Bridgewater (access from the canal towpath is via a ramp or steps)
  • Follow the path to the garden entrance
  • Bicycle racks are situated to the left of the entrance to the Welcome Building
  • Watch the RHS video guides to the routes along the RHS Greenway to the garden:

For those travelling along the Bridgewater Way towpath from Wigan and Leigh:

  • Cross over the canal at Booths Hall Bridge, Boothstown
  • Follow the road to the right and turn into Quayside Close
  • Continue along Quayside Close to the entrance to the marina, from where access to RHS Greenway is signposted
  • Continue along the route until you reach the signs indicating the entrance to RHS Garden Bridgewater (access from the canal route is either via a ramp or there are steps further along)
  • Follow the path to the garden entrance
  • Bicycle racks are situated to the left of the entrance to the Welcome Building

For those travelling along the Bridgewater Way from Manchester, Trafford, Eccles and Monton:

  • Come off the towpath when you reach the Humpback Bridge at Worsley
  • Cross over Barton Road (on your left) using one of the two crossing points
  • Turn right and head in the direction of the roundabout
  • Access to RHS Greenway is signposted via Worsley Court House car park
  • Continue along the route until you reach the signs indicating the entrance to RHS Garden Bridgewater (you will reach the stepped access point first, carry on a short distance for sloped access)
  • Follow the path to the garden entrance
  • Bicycle racks are situated to the left of the entrance to the Welcome Building

For those travelling along Port Salford Greenway:

  • As your reach the end of Farm Lane, turn left and travel along Barton Road for a short distance until you reach the signposted entrance to RHS Greenway via Worsley Court House car park
  • Continue along the route until you reach the signs indicating the entrance to RHS Garden Bridgewater (you will reach the stepped access point first, carry on a short distance for sloped access)
  • Follow the path to the garden entrance
  • Bicycle racks are situated to the left of the entrance to the Welcome Building

When complete, the £3.2 million scheme will become part of the Bee Network, a proposal for the UK’s largest cycling and walking network, connecting communities in all ten Greater Manchester authorities, benefiting 2.7 million people and making cycling and walking a real alternative to the car. 

Alongside connecting residents to RHS Garden Bridgewater, the scheme will also link them to local facilities and improve pedestrian and cycle safety. It will also create connections into the region’s wider walking and cycling network, helping to encourage active and healthier lifestyles.

The scheme has been developed in partnership with Salford City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Peel L&P, the Worsley Park Marriott Hotel and Country Club and Asa Homes. It will be delivered by one of Salford City Council’s framework contractors, Landscape Engineering, who started on 25 January 2021 and are due to complete by December 2022. Visit the RHS Walking and Cycling Links page on the Commonplace website for more details about the construction programme including key dates.

Opened in May 2021, RHS Garden Bridgewater was made possible by Salford City Council and Peel L&P. Salford City Council invested £19 million into the project which will bring substantial economic and tourism benefits to the city, its communities and the north west region. Peel L&P are custodians of the former Worsley New Hall estate where the garden has been built.

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This page was last updated on 21 April 2022

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