You can jump on a number 67 bus from either the Victoria bus depo or from Victoria bridge. I prefer to catch it from the bus depo as it can get busy on the bus. If you catch it there you're guarenteed a seat! There is also the number 100 bus but this goes via the Trafford centre and can easilly put half an hour plus on your journey.
There is a bus stop right at the end of Astley Rd. As you're going through Irlam look out for the baths/Princess park. After those you'll come to some traffic lights and there's a Lidl on the corner and a bus stop. Yours is the stop after this. You'll get off the bus opposite the post office and a row of shops. If you cross over the road and follow the path right after Irlam DIY then you're on Astley Rd. Follow it down past the council offices and the medical centre and hey presto..you're on the moss!
Hope that helped.
-- Edited by Michael on Monday 1st of August 2011 12:01:48 PM
I usually get the X34 (First Bus) from Piccadilly Gardens, runs 12 minutes past the hour on weekdays and Saturdays and is the express bus. The 26 from Shudehill runs on a Sunday too, that also stops at the same place. I get off at the stop Chaddock Lane/Cross Hillock which is near a petrol station with a Co-op store, just before Higher Green Lane and Coach Road. When you get off, turn down Higher Green Lane, cross the East Lancs and just keep walking straight through Higher Green, Astley Green and Lower Green and down Rindle Road. Cross the railway and keep walking until you reach Birch Farm, this is straight ahead of you. You then turn right and walk to the end of the road where you then turn left. You can't miss Red Chalis (it's the one with the boat outside) and the fields to the left are the ones you view or listen, depending on what you want.
I won't beat about the bush, it is a long walk, so make sure you wear something comfortable on your feet and if you don't find your quarry you may well wish you had never undertaken it! I must have done the walk about ten times before I finally saw a Quail this week!
That's the way I do it any way! If you can print a map of the field numbers off too, that also comes in handy.
Just remember perseverance pays off and if you don't see any Quail there's plenty of other birds in the area worth seeing too.
The final destination of both buses is Leigh, but don't get a 12 because it doesn't stop there!
In fact, the train station in Irlam is very close the the very southern end of Astley Road. If you get off in Irlam and take the sort walk to Astley Road then head north along it you'd arrive where the Quail currently are! The walk could be very productive indeed too and is considerably shorter than the walk from Astley. Unfortunately I've no idea which train you'd need or which station (Piccadilly or Victoria) you'd need to get it from but that'd be easy to find out via an Internet search I should think.
You can get a number 26 or 34 bus from the city centre and get off in Astley just by the Texaco Garage. You'd then need to walk south along Lower Green Lane, cross the East Lancs Road onto Higher Green Lane and just follow it onto Rindle Road, cross the railway at the level crossing and continue south along Astley Road to the Quail Fields just past the canal boat (yes, no canal for miles ). The walk from the bus stop is a good couple of miles but can be very productive.
Access can probably be made from the south side of the mosses in Irlam but I've no idea what buses would be necessary or if you'd have to change buses on you're journey from Manchester (something you don't have to do with the 26 or 34).
Just a quick request for help really - from the thread, this place sounds great and I would like to at least be in the same area as a Quail, so I can dip on it spectacularly. Can anybody tell me if there is a bus or train that would take me close to the mosses from Manchester city centre? I don't know the area at all.
and if you don't see any Quail there's plenty of other birds in the area worth seeing too.