A long standing local tradition is the Easter fair, starting on Good Friday each year at Rivington Pike. In the past the fair was held on the upper slopes of The Pike itself, erosion damage to the hill and modern health and safety rules and regulations have caused the fair to move to the rough road just below The Pike. Some readers may have found memories of precariously placed stalls and ‘bouncy castles’ perched at gravity defying angles on the hill, several decades ago.
In recent years, hot food stalls, confectionary and ice cream sellers, traditional fairground games such as the ever popular ‘Hook a Duck’ and several attractions for small children in the form of ‘bouncy castles’ and ‘roundabouts’ have been offered.
It is not advisable to attempt to drive to this location as the vehicles you will see in the above photo, the ‘road’ as you may loosely define it, is in fact an extremely rough broken cobbled surface and will wreck your car.
On Good Friday literally thousands of people will ascending the pike from before dawn to after dusk. Many families choosing to spend the rest of the day strolling around the Terraced Gardens; and at this time you may see Lord Leverhulme’s gift to Bolton as he intended, with local people and vistiors enjoying the gardens, away from the industry and work of town and city.
Inclement Weather
Some years at Easter, The Pike is shrouded in rain and mist and terrible, biting winds but; you will still find many people at the top of the hill, sheltering around the Pike Tower. Rivington hall barn is a welcome stop on the way back down and is often full to the rafters with damp but merry people taking food and refreshment within its ancient wooden cruck frame, reminiscent of a medieval feast or as one might imagine Viking hoardes having returned from a great adventure.
A huge number of people visited Rivington over the Easter weekend 2009, we attended on Good Friday and although the weather was at times overcast the mood was bright.
A special mention must go to an excellent and original effort from a couple of charity fundraisers we witnessed at the Pike, dressed as Jesus and The Queen. Complete with wooden cross and thorny crown Jesus ascended the Pike where he spoke to the multitude offering to perform a “sponsored walk on water”. The characters were portrayed in a completely inoffensive manner, and very popular with the crowd.
One of the most memorable of Easter Pike trips, with a great atmosphere and a massive turn-out.
All about Rivington Pike, a prominent hill above the town of Horwich in Lancashire, topped by an easily recognizable tower on site of an ancient beacon fire.
