Lever Park is a beautiful country park on the eastern shore of Lower Rivington Reservoir. Strictly speaking it lies within the Borough of Chorley, though it is actually closer to Horwich in Bolton.
It opened in 1904 after William Lever (Lord Leverhulme) purchased the Rivington Hall estate and donated the land for a public park. Today it is still a popular spot for walking and outdoor activities.
There’s a cluster of attractions at the centre of the park. The Great House Barn is a popular café. The Great House Information Centre is next door and features exhibitions about the local area and also stocks walking maps and guides. Go Ape offers a unique tree top adventure course.
Numerous walks start and finish in the park. A woodland path runs the length of the shoreline connecting Liverpool Castle at the southern end of the park to Rivington village at the northern end. Our easy walk around Rivington includes most of the sights. A slightly more strenuous walk starts at Rivington Hall Barn and heads out of the park to Rivington Terraced Gardens and Rivington Pike.
Driving is probably the best option to get to Lever Park. There are a number of free car parks here.
The most southerly car park is situated opposite Rivington and Blackrod High School (postcode BL6 7SE). This is the closest car park to Liverpool Castle.
The Great House Car Park (postcode BL6 7SB) lies near the centre of the park and is next to the Great House Barn, Go Ape, and the Great House Information Centre.
The northernmost car park is located behind Rivington Foundation Primary School (postcode BL6 7SE), close to Rivington village.
Buses stop near the southern end of the park. The 575 bus from Bolton to Wigan stops on Lever Park Avenue while the 125 from Bolton to Preston stops outside the Crown pub in Horwich. From either bus stop you’ll need to walk a mile or so to reach the woodland area of the park.
Is Lever park and Rivington gardens open for visits at the moment?