Most roads are quite boring, which is not exactly a hot take. However, some roads are more interesting than others, for a variety of reasons. Having run an awful lot of them so far, certain ones still stick in my mind. Here is a list of them in no particular order.

1. Moon Grove, Rusholme

This is a lovely little cobbled cul-de-sac only 30 seconds from the Curry Mile in Rusholme. I enjoyed this one because it was so unexpected in that part of the city, I’d probably not have given it as much attention had it been further south in the suburbs.

Moon Grove, Rusholme on OSM
Moon Grove, incongrously nestled away just east of the Curry Mile. (OpenStreetMap)

Unfortunately Street View doesn’t quite do it justice but hopefully it gives a glimpse of its charm:

Moon Grove, Rusholme on Street View
Entrance to Moon Grove via Google Street View. (© 2023 Google)

2. St. Martin’s Avenue, Heaton Norris

Another cul-de-sac, this one very steep. Reaching the end of this road felt like an achievement and also had the feeling of being in an ampitheatre.

St. Martins' Avenue, Heaton Norris on OSM
St. Martin’s Avenue, a cul-de-sac just north of Didsbury Road connecting East Didsbury and Stockport. (OpenStreetMap)

The run on which I completed this road was unexpectedly hilly.

St. Martins' Avenue, Heaton Norris on Street View
St. Martin’s Avenue via Google Street View. Far more steep that this picture suggests! (© 2023 Google)

3. Octagonal avenues, Withington

Hassall, Rudheath, Mouldsworth and Dennison Avenue comprise two distinctive octagons in Withington:

Octagonal roads in Withington on OSM
Octagonal roads in Withington. (OpenStreetMap)

These roads make the list purely because the pattern they create is so distinctive. Honourable mention to these very similar circular roads in Burnage:

Circular roads in Burnage on OSM
Circular roads in Burnage. (OpenStreetMap)

4. Victoria Avenue East, North Manchester

I ran Victoria Avenue East on the run with the most new distance so far, 23.3km, on 13th December 2020. I remember it was a horrible, drizzly day. I ran out of the city centre along Oldham Road till it meets the M60, then along the full length of Victoria Avenue East in a westerly direction until Heaton Park, before meandering back to the city centre.

Victoria Avenue East on OSM
Victoria Avenue East – the main west-east orange road – which continues off the left of the image to Heaton Park. (OpenStreetMap)

I enjoy these long straight roads with relatively few junctions for their length. Aside from this I also have good memories because I walked along it in 2015 when I completed the Bogle Stroll, a 55-mile charity walk. The Bogle route is a rough figure of 8 with one loop in south Manchester and the other, which includes this road, in the north.

5. Ten Acres Lane, near Clayton Value, East Manchester

I ran this road on 20th September 2020 when meandering somewhat aimlessly in East Manchester not too far from Manchester City’s stadium. It was pure chance that I ended up on this winding road. From just looking on a map it looks fairly non-descript, however the interesting bit was the junction with Riverpark Road:

Ten Acres Lane on OSM
Ten Acres Lane, in particular the junction with Riverpark Road. (OpenStreetMap)

This junction is really, really wide, especially considering that it’s probably not that busy a road.

Riverpark Road junction with Ten Acres Lane on Street View
Junction of Riverpark Road and Ten Acres Lane. Wide, very wide. (© 2023 Google)

Extra points for the bridge over the entrance to Clayton Vale. This road remains one of the furthest into Clayton and Droylesden that I’ve completed.

6. Any residential street with a cherry blossom

A cherry blossom tree during summer elevates any street. Ranworth Avenue is just one example that I remember. I ran along Mersey Road again recently (during winter) and it looked like any other residential cul-de-sac.

Ranworth Avenue on OSM
Ranworth Avenue, just north of Didsbury road connecting East Didsbury and Stockport. (OpenStreetMap)