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The Irwell Sculpture Trail & Kersal Wetlands loop from Salford Central — Manchester

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Hiking trails & Routes

The Irwell Sculpture Trail & Kersal Wetlands loop from Salford Central — Manchester

Moderate

4.6

(7)

hikers

The Irwell Sculpture Trail & Kersal Wetlands loop from Salford Central — Manchester

04:06

16.0km

70m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: June 8, 2024

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

4.13 km

Factory Girls Sculptures

Highlight • Monument

David Appleyard's Factory Girls, created in 2010, celebrates the female workers of Metropolitan Vickers, at one time the largest factory in Western Europe. The enamelled figures are inspired by the products of the electrical engineering firm in Trafford Park and are each named after a former employee. To create the piece, the artist collaborated with young people from Ordsall Community Arts, Eccles Youth Club, Salford Foundation and Salford College.

Tip by

4.55 km

Four Corners Sculpture at Salford Quays

Highlight • Monument

Four Corners by Noah Rose depicts scenes from the tales of former dock workers and is a reminder of the industrial heritage of the region. The artist worked with a group of people who used to labour here and took their stories to create the piece.

Tip by

5.40 km

Nine Dock Sculpture

Highlight • Monument

This sculpture, unveiled by artist Mor in 2010, takes on the broad shape of a nine digit, representing the dock on which it rests. Local people assisted with the project, helping to decide on the sculpture's final shape and providing the quotes that are engraved into its surface.

Home to the passenger and shipping company Manchester Liners, Nine Dock was one of the busiest, biggest and most important of the Salford Docks. The dock was over half a mile in length and, amazingly, was large enough to hold up to ten container ships.

Tip by

11.4 km

Kersal Wetlands

Highlight • Trail

The area within the meander of the River Irwell has become a nature reserve and important wetland habitat. It's also managed as part of an extensive flood prevention scheme to hold water and slow the flow downstream. The path around the edge feels wild and miles away from busy central Manchester, although it's actually not far.

Tip by

14.6 km

Peel Park Sculptures: Fabric of Nature & Monument to the Third Millennium

Highlight • Monument

Peel Park is host to two sculptures on the Irwell Sculpture Trail.

Julie Hilton's Fabric of Nature earthwork sculpture was created in 2000. A curved brick seating area is adorned with etchings of leaves found in the park, while the patterns below represent a bud and leaf unfurling.

Nearby is Monument to the Third Millennium by Adrian Moakes, created with the assistance of students from Salford University. As its name suggests, it was unveiled in 2000 as part of the Millennium celebrations. The sculpture depicts a 16-foot high (5 m) swirling shoal of fish. This is possibly a nod to the fact that the park has been regularly flooded in the past, due to its position on the floodplain of the River Irwell.

Tip by

16.0 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

7.97 km

7.31 km

238 m

156 m

134 m

111 m

Surfaces

6.41 km

4.85 km

3.94 km

631 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Thursday 3 September

18°C

14°C

93 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 25.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

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The Irwell Sculpture Trail & Kersal Wetlands loop from Salford Central — Manchester

Factory Girls Sculptures

Four Corners Sculpture at Salford Quays

Nine Dock Sculpture

Kersal Wetlands

Peel Park Sculptures: Fabric of Nature & Monument to the Third Millennium

Nearby routes

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