Most families never see the far end of Moses Gate. They park off Hall Lane, walk two minutes and stop at the play area, which is the biggest in the borough and frankly the point of the visit. Bolton Council's own equipment list runs to about forty items, from a toddler see-saw and inclusive springie helicopter, ladybird and crocodile up to a cone climber, an embankment slide and a Galaxy Supernova. Under-fives get their own fenced-off kit instead of fighting for a place on the junior frames, which is the reason this one beats most council playgrounds.
Behind the playground the park opens out. Bolton Council calls this its largest nature reserve, 750 acres in the Croal and Irwell valleys about three miles south of the town centre, with three lakes known as the Crompton Lodges: one reserved for migratory birds, one for fishing, one for canoeing. There is a bird hide overlooking scrub and feeders, and enough marked walking, cycling and horse route to make a proper morning of it if the weather holds. Flat and easy near the lakes, rougher as you head into the woodland.
It is free, the car park is free, there are toilets, and the pedestrian gates are a metre wide so wheelchairs and double buggies get through. What there is not, at least not reliably, is anywhere to buy a coffee. Bring a flask. Or accept that you are driving into Farnworth afterwards. Dusk to dawn opening means no gates to catch you out and no lighting either, so in winter you get an hour after school and that is it.
What it costs: Free. Bolton Council lists no admission charge and no parking charge.
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