Liverpool Loop Line
This traffic free cycle ride follows National Cycle Route 62 and a disused railway line from Halewood to Aintree. The flat surfaced path is a great ride for beginners, families or anyone looking for a leisurely ride. It's also suitable for walkers in the mood for a nice easy stroll. The path is lined with attractive woodland and bluebells in the spring months.
The route starts in Halewood close to the train station. You then head through Gateacre, Knotty Ash and West Derby before finishing in Aintree near the famous racecourse. Highlights on the route include the lovely Croxteth Country Park which is well worth a small detour at West Derby.
You can extend your outing by continuing north along National Cycle Route 62 and the Trans Pennine Trail to Maghull and Southport.
Around Maghull you will pass close to the pretty Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve, the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the famous racecourse at Aintree.
Liverpool Loop Line Ordnance Survey Map 
- view and print off detailed OS map
Liverpool Loop Line Open Street Map 
- view and print off detailed map
Liverpool Loop Line OS Map 
- Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking
Liverpool Loop Line Open Street Map 
- Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking
Pubs/Cafes
The route passes very close to Childwall Woods where there are some pleasant woodland trails. The adjacent village of Childwall is also well worth a visit with its historic Childwall Abbey Hotel. The inn is thought to date back to the 11th century and is a nice place to stop for some refreshment. The tap room in the pub also hosted The Beatles in their former incarnation as The Quarrymen in the 1950s. They have a good menu and a lovely garden area for warmer days. They can be found on Abbey Road at postcode L16 5EY.
In Maghull there's The Running Horses. The friendly pub is located in a fine spot next to the canal just north of the town centre in Lydiate. They serve good food and have a nice garden area next to the Leeds Liverpool canal. You can find them at 25 Bell Lane, L31 4EN. They are dog friendly if you have your canine friend with you.
The route links up with National Cycle Route 56. The signed Sustrans route runs from the city of Chester to Liverpool, passing the famous Albert Docks and Sefton Park on the way. The route could be used to extend your ride.
Cycle Routes and Walking Routes Nearby
Photos
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Well Lane, Childwall.
Some History: The line, constructed by the Cheshire Lines Committee, branched off from the Committee's Liverpool to Manchester line at Hunts Cross in the southern part of the city. It proceeded north, skirting the eastern edge of Liverpool, and ultimately reached the Walton Triangle junction. One branch continued north to Aintree, while another curved west through Rice Lane to the Kirkdale tunnel, where it turned south towards Liverpool Docks. Running alongside the existing LYR line, it terminated at Huskisson railway station, just beyond Sandhills railway station. A minor line departed from Huskisson, retracing its path northward before veering towards the river and the Midland Railway's Sandon and Canada Dock Goods station. This route was opened between 1879 and 1880, with the Aintree branch extended to Southport in 1884.
View of the tree lined path as it approaches a tunnel.
Over time, the route closed in phases. Passenger services ceased between Aintree and Gateacre in 1960. In 1972, passenger trains from Liverpool Central High Level to Gateacre were discontinued. Although there were plans to reinstate the Gateacre service in 1978 as part of the new Merseyrail Northern Line, this did not materialize. Instead, the terminus was reduced to Hunts Cross station on the southern Liverpool to Manchester line. Freight continued to be transported along the line to Liverpool's docks until its closure in 1979.
West Derby Station on Trans Pennine Trail. Disused rail station on the trail
Crosby Green bridge
"Broadway Bridge". Disused railway bridge over Utting Avenue. This iron girder bridge now carries the cycleway over the busy A580. The double roundabouts beneath it are a nightmare for the learner drivers taking their tests at the nearby driving test centre.
Halewood Doorstep Green Halewood: Halewood Doorstep Green (formerly Dista Field). A welcome patch of open green space in a heavily built up and industrialised area. Traversed by the Trans Pennine Trail and Liverpool Loop Line cycleways, here running concurrently.