A trail of two cities

Cycling from Liverpool to Manchester should take 3-4 hours

The M62. The East Lancs. The River Mersey. IKEA... Liverpool and Manchester have more in common than they care to admit.

But these two cities are also connected by the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) which means that you can, should you wish, cycle from one to the other.

So, if you're up for a challenge, and you can handle spending a few hours in the saddle, this could be a day out with a difference.

The TPT spans the breadth of England from Southport to Hull, but this 40-mile section from Liverpool to Manchester can be done comfortably by regular cyclists in half a day.

It's flat and mainly traffic-free with only a few minor roads involved so promises to be an enjoyable day's cycling. And there's even the prospect of a pub lunch en route.

Obviously, you can bike it in either direction but there's a much better chance of a tailwind heading west to east.

Route

TRANS PENNINE TRAIL a coast-to-coast route 215 miles (346 km) long links Southport with the east coast of England mainly traffic-free route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders was officially opened in September 2001 Trans Pennine Trail

Take your bike on the train over to Lime Street and then start your return journey at the Pier Head, travelling along the waterfront and picking up the Liverpool Loopline via Princes and Sefton Parks.

Leaving Liverpool, you pass through Halewood Country Park and the village of Hale, complete with thatched cottages and country pubs, to reach Pickering's Pasture Country Park with open views of the dramatic Mersey Estuary.

The TPT then hugs the estuary before heading inland along the St Helens Canal towards Warrington. Canal and railway paths take you through Warrington to Trafford, where it picks up the River Mersey once again.

This time you follow a winding riverside path along the Mersey to Chorlton where you can leave the trail and head into Manchester via the Fallowfield Loop .

For detailed route information, go to the official Trans Pennine Trail website.