A 33-YEAR-OLD cyclist who plunged 50ft to his death at a local beauty spot may have taken the wrong path along a cliff edge, an inquest heard.

Motorcycle courier Matthew James Deacon, of Bury New Road, Whitefield, was found by a man walking in the woods near a Scout camp in Ashworth Valley. A fit man who had travelled extensively abroad, Mr Deacon suffered multiple injuries and was already dead when passer-by Brian Pickles, of Heywood, discovered him on the morning of March 24 this year, with his bicycle nearby.

The inquest heard that, although foul play was not suspected, there were no cycle tracks in the vicinity.

However, an investigation by PC Keith Baron found tyre prints and scuff marks at the top of a steep embankment.

It appeared that where a cliff edge pathway split, Mr Deacon had taken the route along the track on the cliff-side of a fence where the surface may have been wet due to early morning dew.

Bury District Coroner Mr Barrie Williams, recording a verdict of accidental death, said that Mr Deacon appeared to have set off on a ride fully equipped with bicycle gear and a rucksack. No-one had seen him until his body was discovered by the walker.

A police investigation suggested that Mr Deacon had fallen 50ft down the steep side of the embankment, and that was consistent with the injuries he had sustained.

"It appeared that the track along which he was riding brought him too close to the edge of the cliff at a point where only a slight slip would precipitate the fall which in fact caused his death," Mr Williams said.

Mr Deacon was brought up in Radcliffe where he attended high school and then the local catering college. His brother, Mr Richard Alistair Deacon of Ormskirk Close, Bury, said Matthew was interested in all two-wheel machines, whether motorised or not, and had travelled throughout America and Asia.

As close brothers, they saw each other frequently and on March 20, both went on a nine-mile run. When a friend called on the following Saturday asking to contact Matthew, Richard said he was not too concerned.

But when he telephoned Matthew's mobile, he got a police sergeant on the other end who broke the news.

Matthew's parents, who had been on holiday in France at the time of the tragedy, did not attend the hearing.

Mr Williams added that it was clear the fall was a wholly untoward and unexpected event.