Brookheys Covert Nature Reserve

Brookheys Covert Nature Reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and nature reserve managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. It is located at SJ 742 904 in Greater Manchester. Brookheys covert is an ancient semi-natural woodland dominated by oaks, with frequent ash, birch and rowan. Canopy cover varies throughout the reserve, and is at its most dense to the centre of the wood, away from the surrounding farmland. The understory is dense in places and is dominated by hazel, with frequent holly elder. Areas of bare ground and leaf litter are found throughout, and are associated with the most shaded parts of the wood. There are several inter-connected marl pit ponds present throughout the woodland. Some hold water while others remain as damp depressions, only holding water seasonally. Aquatic vegetation is limited to a small number of ponds, and includes common duckweed, iris and water violet. Most ponds are heavily shaded and are subject to fluctuating water levels, however, recent ditch and woodland management has helped improve their wildlife value.

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Glazebrook East Junction–Skelton Junction line

The Glazebrook East Junction–Skelton Junction line was a railway line from Glazebrook to Skelton Junction in Greater Manchester. It connected the Cheshire Lines Committee main line from Liverpool Central to Manchester Central with lines in the Stockport area (and hence onwards towards the Pennines via the Woodhead Line), allowing freight traffic to bypass central Manchester. It also carried a local passenger service between Stockport and Warrington Central until the early 1960s.

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852 m

Birch Moss Covert Nature Reserve

Birch Moss Covert Nature Reserve is a nature reserve managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. It is located on Carrington Moss, north of Sinderland Lane, which runs off the A56 road at Broadheath, Greater Manchester (grid reference SJ749908).

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Carrington Moss

Carrington Moss is a large area of peat bog near Carrington, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey, 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Manchester. It occupies an area of about 1,100 acres (450 ha). The depth of peat varies between 17 and 20 feet (5.2 and 6.1 m). Originally an unused area of grouse moorland, the moss was reclaimed in the latter half of the 19th century for farming and the disposal of Manchester's waste. A system of tramways was built to connect it with the Manchester Ship Canal and a nearby railway line. In the Second World War, the land was used as a Starfish site and in the latter half of the 20th century a large industrial complex was built along its northern edge. More recently, several sporting facilities have been built on Carrington Moss. The land is still used for farming and several nature reserves have been established within its bounds. Parts of Carrington Moss are accessible to the public over several rights of way.

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Trafford Training Centre

Trafford Training Centre (usually referred to by the synecdoche of Carrington) is the training ground and academy headquarters of English football club Manchester United. It is near the village of Carrington, Greater Manchester, England, and replaced The Cliff as the club's training ground in 2000. Construction on the complex began in 1999, with the first team taking up residence of the completed main building in 2000, followed in 2002 by the Academy facility — home to the club's youth system. In 2013, major additions were completed at the complex, including a medical centre and sports science department. Towards the end of the 1990s, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson increasingly felt that the club's training ground at The Cliff — which had been in continuous use since 1938 — would prove incapable of meeting the competitive requirements of the Premier League as it entered the 21st century. Ferguson was also unhappy about the lack of privacy at The Cliff, with journalists present on a daily basis, opposition team scouts able to watch training sessions, and supporters asking for autographs and photographs with players. The club's board set about finding a new location for their training ground, and purchased more than 100 acres of secluded land in Carrington – less than 10 miles (16 km) from Old Trafford stadium. Construction began in 1999, with a budget of £22 million, of which £14 million was spent on the Main Building (first team) which opened in the summer of 2000, and a further £8 million spent on the Academy Facility, opening in the summer of 2002. A new £25 million medical and sports science facility was constructed on the grounds in 2013. This brought the total cost of construction to over £60 million. Approximately 300 people work at Carrington on a daily basis. On 8 August 2025, the club officially inaugurated the enhanced Trafford Training Centre, featuring major improvements in medical, sports science, and academy facilities. The £50 million upgrade was initiated by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and took 12 months to complete, being delivered “on time and within budget.”

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