So, what are you doing?

[Mother Brown]

One end comes out in that small trading estate in Old Town (Central?) the other will take you to Bassett really. There’s a footbridge over the M4.

Don't think it actually crosses the M4
It ran Northwest to the old Moredon power station
God ime bored

[suttonred]

I'm painting the front door at the weekend. Fancy seeing who's dry's first?

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

I used to walk my dog at the back of Mannington. If you turn right just before you get alongside the side of John Lewis, go under the bridge, go right and keep on, past the small farm, you come to a pedestrian bridge over the M4.

[4D]

I used to walk my dog at the back of Mannington. If you turn right just before you get alongside the side of John Lewis, go under the bridge, go right and keep on, past the small farm, you come to a pedestrian bridge over the M4.

Agreed Aud. I think knees up is thinking about the 45 cycle route which runs from barnfield up to moredon, top end of Akers way.
There is also a cycle/foot path that runs from Mannington up to Blagrove. I cycled it today.

[suttonred]

Just reminded me of the TE in the past with that monicker. Oh thats what the user name refers to. Derr

[Mother Brown]

Mill lane ?
Theres a Waitrose there now

[Ardiles]

When I was cycling using the route (late 1980s), I was using the section from Mannington to Old Town.  It would be interesting (to me, anyway) to know how all these routes were affected when West Swindon was built on a previously rural area in the 1980s.  Fascinating (again, for me) to think that at the time of our 1969 League Cup win, areas like Rodbourne and Greenmeadow were bordered by countryside.

[Batch]

I found the Haydon Wick Domesday project 1986 entry interesting in that regard.

iirc it talks of lost farmland and the probability the village would be engulfed by Swindon within 10 years.

[Legends-Lounge]

When I was cycling using the route (late 1980s), I was using the section from Mannington to Old Town.  It would be interesting (to me, anyway) to know how all these routes were affected when West Swindon was built on a previously rural area in the 1980s.  Fascinating (again, for me) to think that at the time of our 1969 League Cup win, areas like Rodbourne and Greenmeadow were bordered by countryside.

When this old Tory boy moved aht tha smoke in 1963 to Marlowe Ave, you could walk all the way to Wanborough without virtually crossing a road. I suppose for the bad lands the other side of the railway line the same could be said for west Swindon and obvs recently north swindon and as Ardiles mentions Rodbourne and Moredon with the addition of Greenmeadow and HW. Still the Eastern expansion as well as Wichelstow will in twenty years time be talked about in general terms a I have laid out. The key word is progress.

[Arriba]

I used to cycle the route Ardiles did too from my home in Toothill. Either to my cousin's house in Lawn. Or my nan's in Park South. I loved it as I only had to cross 2 roads to get there.

The other road mentioned by Audrey which leads to the motorway bridge I remember too. The first farm you came to had a very angry farmer who would chase us and had a gun( we named him shotgun farmer) so of course boys being boys we used to go there deliberately to get chased by him. He was a crap shot, unless he missed deliberately

[Mother Brown]

You mention Wichelstow.
Built on a flood plain, whatever became of Terry King and frag?

[Tails]

I used to walk from the new(ish) apartments where PMH was down a path that went right down past Mannington and through Blagrove into Windmill Hill. It was a nice little walk, not sure if it was an old railway line or anything?

[Arriba]

I used to walk from the new(ish) apartments where PMH was down a path that went right down past Mannington and through Blagrove into Windmill Hill. It was a nice little walk, not sure if it was an old railway line or anything?

That path was created in the 80's as an exercise trail. Had some equipment along the path at different points originally.

[Ardiles]

That path was created in the 80's as an exercise trail. Had some equipment along the path at different points originally.

Occasionally, I'd walk to games (again, as a teenager) from home in Freshbrook and used to use that path.  It took just over an hour each way.

[Christy]

There is also a cycle/foot path that runs from Mannington up to Blagrove. I cycled it today.

In normal times it’s my lunchtime walk...so I’m glad to hear it’s still of some use’