Bolton is a former cotton-spinning town on the edge of the West Pennine Moors, close enough to Manchester to feel connected but distinct enough to have its own character. The Industrial Revolution hit hard here — at its peak, Bolton was one of the most productive textile towns on earth — and that history saturates the place, from the impressive civic architecture in the town centre to the mills and engine houses that dot the surrounding valleys.
The moors above the town offer walking country of real quality, with Rivington Pike and its hilltop tower providing the most recognisable landmark for miles around. The Rivington terraced gardens, hidden in the hillside woodland below the pike, reward those prepared to leave the main paths. In town, the museum holds an Egyptian collection that surprises most first-time visitors, and Hall i' th' Wood preserves a genuinely intact Tudor manor with a direct connection to one of the most important inventions of the industrial age.