Wigan
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By air
Manchester International Airport is in reasonably close proximity, some 25 miles away with access directly by rail every hour from Wigan Wallgate via Manchester Piccadilly (55 minute journey), whilst Liverpool John Lennon Airport is almost equidistant but best accessable from Wigan by train to Liverpool Lime Street and then connecting bus to the airport. This could take in excess of 2 hours or more.
By train
The town has two railway stations:
Wigan North Western Station is run by Virgin Trains and has services to London Euston (2h15m), Glasgow Central and regional services with 3 per hour to Liverpool (23 miles), 1 per hour to Blackpool (27 miles), 3 per hour to Preston, and 3 per hour to Warrington.
By road
The M6 runs north - south through the Wigan districts of Orrell, Standish and Ashton in Makerfield. The M61 is also nearby, the nearest exit being J6. This will take you via rural Westhoughton in Bolton Borough and then through to Aspull in Wigan Borough and into Wigan town centre.
By bus
Wigan is also well served by buses from around Greater Manchester and beyond, including direct services (daytime estimates, evening & Sundays will vary) to Manchester (every 30 mins from Wigan, every 20 mins from Leigh and hourly peak from Lowton), Salford (every 15 minutes), The Trafford Centre (every 30 minutes) Bolton (every 7-8 minutes), Chorley (every 15 minutes), St Helens (every 15 minutes), Warrington (every 30 minutes), Skelmersdale & Ormskirk (20 minutes) and Preston (hourly).
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Haigh Hall
is a large country park owned by the local council and is well worth a visit. Apart from the historic hall itself, there are acres of well kept grounds and parkland, as well as two golf courses, the Balcarres of 18 holes and the Crawford of 9. Both courses were recently renovated at a cost of millions, and provide a good test for a golfer in beautiful and serene surroundings. As well as lots of space to ramble, there are a kid's playground, stables, shops and cafe and in the summer, there are usually inflatable fair attractions such as bouncy castles and slides etc. Owing to ramblers, golfers and the like, the park does get extremely popular, especially in warmer weather, but is well patronised all year round.
Museum of Wigan
Library St (formerly the history shop) will open in 2010 and detail life in Wigan from the days of it being the Roman settlement of Cocchium to its present status as second largest borough of the Greater Manchester region.
AMF Bowling
is located on the fringe of the town centre offering affordable, cheap fun for the family. It is situated across from Staples and the HSS hire shop.
Pennington Flashes
in Leigh and has a lot of space for ramblers, bird watching facilities and a golf course.
Three Sisters Racing Circuit
Ashton-In-Makerfield is a popular venue for motorbike and karting events. The area also has a nature reserve and kids play area and is well worth a visit on event day.
February - April
October - December
Information not available
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