Bolton
With a population of more than 260,000, Bolton is the UK’s biggest town. It is situated in Greater Manchester, but is historically part of Lancashire.
During the Industrial Revolution the town grew rapidly as one of the major centres of North West’s cotton industry.
Accommodation
Hotel accommodation in Bolton town centre is very limited. The only large hotel here is the Holiday Inn.
Fortunately there are more options on the outskirts of the town. Popular choices include the De Vere Whites at the Reebok Stadium (home of Bolton Wanderers), the Ramada at Blackrod, the Last Drop, Egerton House, and the Britannia.
Attractions & Things To Do
Bolton Museum boasts an excellent collection of Egyptian artefacts and the only public aquarium in Greater Manchester. It’s located on Le Mans Crescent in the town centre, in the same building as the Central Library and Tourist Information Centre. Other museums in the town include Hall i’th’ Wood, Smithills Hall, and Bolton Steam Museum.
Entertainment venues include the Albert Halls theatre, the Soundhouse live music venue, and Octagon Theatre. There are two multiplex cinemas in the town; Cineworld at The Valley and Vue at Middlebrook.
Children and families can enjoy a day at Moss Bank Park, go bowling at the Hollywood Bowl or visit Smithills Open Farm.
Bolton One is a new development in the town centre scheduled to open in 2012. It will be home to a health centre, 25 metre swimming pool, gym, community gym, and aerobics studio. The development is being funded by Bolton Council, the NHS, and the University of Bolton.
Sports facilities in the town include the Reebok Stadium and the Bolton Arena. The town is surrounded by beautiful countryside. Rivington, Barrow Bridge, and Smithills Country Park are all well worth a visit.
Shopping Centres & Shops
The main shopping centres in Bolton town centre are the Market Place and Crompton Place. The Market Place is the larger of the two. It incorporates the renovated Victorian Market Hall and boasts a large Debenhams department store. Shops at Crompton Place include BHS, Primark, New Look, and Boots.
The town also boasts an award-winning market. It offers over 300 stalls and is situated on Ashburner Street, near the bus station. Market days are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Middlebrook is one of the biggest and best shopping parks in the UK. Shops here include Asda, M&S, and Argos. Other retail parks include Bolton Gate Retail Park (PC World, Pizza Hut), Bolton Shopping Park (Sainsbury’s), Burnden Park (DW Sports), Central Retail Park, and Trinity Retail Park (Staples, Comet, and Toys R Us).
Popular independent stores include T Wright of Horwich (wine merchants), Prestons of Bolton (jewellers), and Whitakers (department store), Posh Living (designer furniture), the House of Raja (Indian store), and Bolton Model Mart (model cars and trains).
Bars, Pubs, Clubs and Restaurants
Most of the pubs, bars, and restaurants in Bolton town centre are located on Nelson Square/Bradshawgate. Businesses here include La Tasca (Spanish tapas restaurant), Pizza Express, J2 and The Attic (nightclub and bar), and The Bar.
Elsewhere in the town centre there’s the Ikon nightclub, Olympus Fish & Chip Restaurant on Great Moor Street, and Ye Olde Man & Scythe (founded in 1251 and one of the oldest pubs in England).
Options in the suburbs include the Toby Carvery (formerly the Watermillock) on Crompton Way, Nick’s Restaurant and Nam Ploy (Thai restaurant) on Chorley Old Road, San Marino in Belmont, Smithills Coaching House, and the Victoria Inn (Fannys) in Heaton.
Transport
Car
To reach Bolton by car, simply leave the M61 motorway at Junction 2 (fastest via A666) or 5. Visitors travelling to Reebok Stadium/Middlebrook should leave at Junction 6.
Air
Bolton is 21 miles by road from Manchester Airport and 35 miles from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
Train
Bolton Interchange is a combined bus and train station on the outskirts of the town centre (address and postcode: Trinity Street, Bolton BL2 1BE).
Northern Rail operates various train services which call here. These include trains from Blackpool North to Manchester Victoria, Preston to Hazel Grove, Bolton to Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport, Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria, and Southport to Manchester and Manchester Airport.
First TransPennine Express trains from Blackpool North to Manchester Airport at Preston, Horwich Parkway (for Middlebrook, Bolton Arena, Reebok Stadium etc), Bolton, and Manchester Piccadilly.
To travel by train from Bolton to London, change at Manchester Piccadilly. The total journey time from Bolton to London (including waiting time) is around 2 hours and 50 minutes.
Trains from Bolton to Manchester take around 20 minutes.
For train times and prices to and from Bolton go to National Rail Enquiries.
