Winter Hill

Winter Hill is a hill in Lancashire, England. It is located on Rivington Moor between Chorley and Bolton and is 456 m high. Part of the West Pennine Moors, it is a popular walking area, and has been the setting for UFO sightings, mining activity, aeroplane disasters and murders. Its prominent position made it the ideal site for the Winter Hill TV Mast, transmitting to a large part of North West England. There also a number of other telecommunication masts and towers around the summit and side of the hill for mobile phones, PMR users and emergency services. Paths to the summit lead from Belmont, Horwich, Rivington and Bolton, but the summit can be reached via a short walk from the top of a road pass 2 km west of Belmont. The hill is a distinctive feature on the skyline for most of south Lancashire, being the highest point west of the Pennines in Lancashire, and further due to its unusual shape. In clear weather conditions, it offers views over Greater Manchester, including Manchester city centre, the Civic Centre in Oldham, Salford, Werneth Low and nearby Bolton. It also offers views of Blackpool Tower, Snaefell in the Isle of Man, the Cumbrian mountains, Snowdonia in North Wales, Liverpool, Southport, the Irish Sea, Peak District, the Pennines and much of the North West of England. The nearby Rivington area is home to the gardens of the late Lord Leverhulme. These included a large bungalow now demolished and Chinese gardens which still remain today.