A great place for a walk, especially in autumn. There's a small car park at the end of Hindley Mill…read moreLane, and if this place was better known I suspect the car park would often be full. Happily, Borsdane Wood is a 'hidden gem'! There are paths through the woods, and a stream running through it too; there's plenty to explore and acres of space for hide-and-seek or walking the dog or cycling or jogging or whatever takes your fancy. In short, it's a wonderful place to exercise -- why so few people seem to know about it is a mystery to me.

A small children's play area off Wigan Road…read more There's a very good playground there: Bolton Council have recently invested some money in their children's play facilities, and they have put in quite a bit of new equipment here. As a consequence it's a really good facility with plenty to keep the kids amused and to help them burn of some energy. Apart from the playground, though, there's not much here! And the parking isn't great either -- you have to park on Wigan Road itself really. But all in all, it's a decent resource to have in the neighbourhood -- we certainly like it!

Still a great park with resurfaced tennis courts,new cafe and rock garden now open April-Sept…read more(except in bad weather) BUT Animal World closed in 2014 as part of Council economies

This is one of Bolton's most popular parks -- apparently there are over half a million visits a…read moreyear here. It's also one of Bolton's biggest, covering over 34 hectares. There are plenty of things to do -- a limited miniature railway offers train rides in the summer, there are some pleasant gardens (although they never seem to be in tip-top shape) and there is also an Animal World and Butterfly House -- effectively a free zoo! The kids' playground has kept our two (aged 3 and 5) amused for many an hour over the years. Parking is a bit limited -- if you can't get in the first car park there's a lesser-known one round the back (follow the road round to Barrow Bridge, a pretty little village worth a visit in its own right). All in all, a great place for the kids to let off steam.

This park is deeply rooted in the Daubhill area of town and is a much appreciated green space for…read morelocal children and residents. Unfortunately a recent spate of vandalism has led to the removal of the skate ramps and play park for safety reasons, but there is still a large area of park space which is popular with joggers, dog walkers and children from the local primary school who are brought here on a regular basis during their playtimes and lunchtimes. One can only hope that the council will act swiftly to restore the features of this park and bring the space back to its full potential.

Nice place for kids cycling and dog walking. In the square they're shops where you can obtain ice…read morecream , beer, coffee and cake or a cafe fora full lunch.

I absolutely adore this place and feel so privileged it's on my door step…read more Haigh Hall Country Park has something for everyone. Whether you want a family day out with a picnic to a dog walk or even a romantic walk this place is for you. At the top car park at the hall end there's a cafe (which serves decent coffee!), awesome newly refurbished playground for the kids and there's almost always an ice cream van around. Move further down and there's a mini golf course and the gardens. Down at the hall, taking a look across the golf course to the view across wigan is absolutely recommended. The view on a nice day is stunning! Once your past the hall, you have the 2 mile winding walk through woodland to plantation gates. On the way you'll go over the canal and some pigs have recently taken residence about halfway through.

I've spent many hours on the mighty Old Station Park, getting up to wholesome and, well, not so…read morewholesome hi-jinx. Old Station Park is the place for dreamers. You have your first illicit fag or stolen cheek-reddening kiss on these hallowed grounds that once was a hub of railway activity. The last train has long pulled out of this particular bit of Horwich, and so many jobs went with it. Seen as an act of hope-filling civic pride, this park was a beacon for a former community bond. However, once the jobs went, the alcoholism and heroin rolled into town, which, when the moon comes up, seeps into the folds of this fine park. Basically, in the daylight hours, this is a really fun place with a couple of playgrounds, some ornamental train wheels (to act as a reminder of what went before and, alas, the keeper of some of my more un-wholesome secrets... to which, I apologise to that man walking his dog. I was unseasonably warm and I'd been drinking) and the like and, come the night, the scallies mooch about, bored and S shaped, shooting up and passing out on grass verges. I dearly love this place though and it is great in the summer. A place filled with children making rubbish dams in Pearl Brook and people offering to play in skins on the nearby astroturf. Old Station Park - I love you... provided you don't tell me mum what I used to get up to with you.

As its name would suggest, this park is built on what used to be Horwich Station. The trains have…read morelong gone, but they've been replaced by a very good little park. There's plenty of space for the kids to let off steam, and there's been significant recent investment in the playground too, with the result that the swings and slides on offer are now very good. There are paths to explore (up to the local swimming pool, for example), a small stream that runs through the park, and some half-decent sports facilities too. The biggest downside, perhaps, is the car park, which is small and only accessible by way of some back-streets. But all in all, a good place for a run around.

A great community park. Our kids (aged 3 and 5) love going there -- the play facilities are really…read moregood. Indeed, they call it Big Slide Park because of one particular climbing-frame/slide construction. We like going there too because the children who play there always seem really helpful -- if our 3-year-old is struggling to get to the top of the Big Slide they will happily help him up there. There are other facilities on site too -- a big enclosed 5-a-side area, and Heywood Playworld -- but we've not used those so can't really comment. Car parking (on Peabody Street) is conveniently close by. All in all -- one of Bolton's friendlier parks.

A historic town-centre park with plenty of space for the kids to run around, play…read morefootball/cricket/whatever and so on. It's a reasonable size and there are plenty of well-marked paths to explore, and there's also a kids' playground with a good variety of the usual swings/climbing-frames etc (although it's at the far end of the park from the main Chorley New Road entrance). Parking is not wonderful, but there's usually enough space on Chorley New Road. The only downside is that the place never looks especially well cared-for; perhaps its central location means it's particularly vulnerable to anti-social behaviour which, given the park's proud history, is a shame. So, not a bad place for a visit -- but if you're driving there you might enjoy a visit to Moss Bank or Moses Gate more instead.