Fallowfield Loop, Manchester bike lane par excellence

For me, The Fallowfield Loop is a bit like Halfords: you know it's there but you never use it because it's not for 'real' cyclists.  But today I decided to swallow my snobbery and take a ride along the route from Chorlton to Ashton.
I have to say, it's really good and pretty much exactly as I'd anticipated: decent surface for the most part, a fair few dogs, bridges, leaves, bit of art, and puddles.  There wasn't much litter though which is always welcome.

Anti-tank system

For the uninitiated, the Fallowfield Loop is an eight mile bridleway running from Chorlton in South Manchester to the City of Manchester Soccer Dome in East Manchester.  It includes just one detour onto the road at Levenshulme where you have to negotiate a mahoosive Sainsway supermarket.
It's a former railway route and hence, it's basically flat all the way.  It is punctuated with regular anti-tank defence systems which mean you have to either get off and lift your bike over a piece of tubular steel or slalom through the defences while making a 'woosh' noise if you want. 
The only bad section is by a new housing development next to Fairfield Station. The current path disappears around the back of the houses and degenerates into a loose pile of hardcore rather than a sealed surface.  However, it seems that the path will eventually link into the new houses when somebody moves the block & mesh fence.
Sustrans reckon it'll take you 57 minutes to ride the length of it which seems quite generous.  It's a great  thing all told and should be celebrated.

Route 62 - South Manchester

Route 62 of the Sustrans National Cycle network links Lancashire with North Yorkshire and, in the process takes in some of the more pleasant environs of Greater Manchester.
The part I'm most familiar with is the section which follows the Mersey Valley along its meandering course in-between the river's source in Stockport and the place where the same course is obliterated by the Manchester Ship Canal somewhere beyond Carrington Moss.
The route is well signposted and, in the main, is bike friendly with only a few obstacles in the way for you to negotiate.
The main issue with this section though is that it is very much a shared surface.  While it may not be a problem for many cyclists to share the path with joggers, horses, dogs and push-chairs, it's not really conducive to the continuity of riding you might be after. 
That said, it's a lovely place to visit with loads of wildlife to spot too - you can even get a pint at Jackson's Bridge if you like.
I can imagine hat riding the length of this route would be a great thing to do - maybe this is one for the spring?