Chorley

Chorley is a town in Lancashire, England, in the West Pennine Moors.

One of Chorley's main shopping streets.

Chorley describes itself as "Lancashire's Market Town". The markets take place most days, and continue to attract shoppers from around the local area. Chorley Borough, surrounding the town, includes many charming rural villages, and contrasting types of countryside.

Understand

10 miles north-west of Bolton, 12 mi (19 km) south-west of Blackburn and 6 miles north of Wigan. Preston is 10 miles north of Chorley, and Manchester is 30 miles south-east of Chorley. To the east of the town, the terrain rises up into the West Pennine Moors. Relatively low altitude, but still a remote landscape. The terrain to the west of the town could not be more different, with the flat, fertile West Lancashire Mosslands stretching away to the coast at Southport

Get in

By train

1 Chorley station enjoys direct train connections to Manchester Airport, Manchester City Centre, Preston, Blackpool, Lancaster and Windermere. Change at Manchester Piccadilly or Preston for express services to the rest of the country.

By car

Chorley is easily accessed from junction 8 on the M61 or junction 27 of the M6. The A6 runs through the town centre while the A49 runs parallel a short distance to the West.

By plane

Direct trains from Manchester Airport in around 50 minutes or a 30-minute drive.

Trains via Manchester to Liverpool John Lennon Airport in around 2 hours or a 50-minute drive.

Get around

You need wheels for the scattered attractions.

See

• 1 Astley Hall Museum and Art Gallery, Chorley PR7 1AX (west edge of town). Apr-mid Dec: Sa Su holidays noon-4:30PM. Museum and art gallery within an eccentric Elizabethan historic house. The extensive landscaped grounds of Astley Park are open daily. Free. (updated Mar 2019)
• 2 Preston England Temple (LDS or Mormon Temple), Hartwood Green, Chorley PR6 7EQ (M61 jcn 8 to A6 north). Open most days. The Mormons or Church of Latter Day Saints were almost driven out of the U.S. in the 19th century, but regrouped from their church in Preston to re-establish in Utah and worldwide. This temple, built 1994-98, commemorates that era, and now serves LDS for central and northern England, Scotland, and most of Ireland. Its gleaming white 48 m spire is visible for miles around. (updated Mar 2019)
• 3 Hoghton Tower, Hoghton Bottoms PR5 0SH (M65 jcn 3 to A675 northwest). Apr-Sep: Su-Th 10AM-4PM; house only by guided tour at 11AM, noon, 1PM, 2PM & 3PM. 16th-century fortified manor house atop a hill. Note the well house, banqueting hall, state bedroom and ballroom, and no less than three "priest holes". There's a fanciful association with Shakespeare and a myth that King James I knighted his dinner as "Sir Loin" steak when he stayed here in 1617. What's genuine is the birth here of Sunday sports: James was persuaded to repeal the sterner sabbatarian rules, and issued the Book of Sports setting out what was allowed, at first for Lancashire, then the whole country. Archery and dancing on Sunday were fine, bear-baiting was definitely out. Adult £10. (updated Mar 2019)
• 4 Winter Hill. At 1,496 ft (456 m), this is the highest point of the West Pennine Moors, on the border with Horwich and Bolton. It adjoins Rivington Pike, with a tower built in 1733. Views stretch to the Lake District, Snowdonia and, on clear days, the Isle of Mann. Various markers and monuments commemorate incidents both apocryphal ("ooh, they were never seen again!") and real, including the 1958 crash of a charter flight from the Isle of Man to Manchester. Towering over all is the 309-m mast of the Arqiva transmission tower which broadcasts TV and radio across the North West of England and beyond. (updated Dec 2023)

Do

Temple Mormon Preston

• 1 Chorley Little Theatre, 10 Dole Lane, PR7 2RL (follow Southport Road from the Town Hall, and Dole Lane is on the left), ☏ +44 1257 264362. Built in 1910 as a cinema, now run by local volunteers as an arts venue. Regular amateur productions of high quality. Hosts some of the biggest names in stand-up comedy throughout the year and still fulfils its original role as cinema on some Sunday evenings. 
• Chorley Live: Every October, ☏ +44 1257 515151, events@chorley.gov.uk. An annual music festival across two evenings in which hundreds of musicians of all types take to dozens of stages of all sizes across Chorley. Venues include pubs, shops, market stalls, restaurants, banks, theatres, churches, takeaways, bars, libraries, parks, hairdressers, youth clubs and a dentist, each welcoming acts that change once an hour to create an ever-changing soundscape that includes everything from modern rock, classic pop and folk groups, to barbershop quartets, brass bands and acapella singers. £5 for unlimited entry to all venues..

Buy

• 1 Chorley Markets, Market Place, Chorley PR7 1DA. Chorley bills itself as Lancashire's Market Town and regularly hosts extensive markets to back that claim up. The covered market is at the heart of the town and fully open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday with a limited opening on Mondays; it includes a selection of stalls selling locally-produced vegetables, fast food, fresh meats, cheeses, electronics and fashion as well as a pub and a café. The outdoor street market (still colloquially known by locals as the Flat Iron Market) is also held on Tuesdays and covers most of the pedestrianised town centre with an even wider selection. An extensive food and crafts market also takes place on the second Saturday of every month. (updated Dec 2023)

Eat

Chorley cakes

• Chorley Cake. A thin sweet cake, made with currants in shortcrust pastry. It has similarities to an Eccles Cake but is made with a different type of pastry. It can be found in supermarkets around Northern England. (updated Dec 2023)

• 1 The Nile, New Market Street, PR7 1BY (next to the Flat Iron Car Park off Union Street and New Market Street), ☏ +44 1257 241341. F Sa 5PM-3AM, Su-Th 5PM-1AM. Extremely popular fast food outlet famous locally for their kebabs but also serving burgers and pizza. At it's busiest when the pubs close, especially with the crowds from the nearby Prince of Wales. (updated Dec 2023)

• 2 The Dresser's Arms, 9 Briers Brow, Wheelton, Chorley PR6 8HD (5 minute's drive North from Chorley on the A674 following signs for Blackburn then Brinscal; the Number 2 bus between Chorley and Blackburn stops at Millbrook Close, about 100 m away from the pub), ☏ +441254830041. Weekdays noon-midnight, weekends noon-11:30PM. A highly-regarded local pub serving food well worth a visit even for travellers on the M61. A rotating selection of real ales brewed both on-site and from across the country as well as a broad selection of more typical beers, spirits and soft drinks. Traditional meals served with a focus on quality local ingredients and generous portions but at reasonable prices. Comfortable and cozy atmosphere with roaring fires in appropriate weather. Popular with walkers and dog-friendly. Booking may be necessary if you're planning on eating at busy times. Reasonably typical pub prices for food and drink. (updated Dec 2023)
• 3 Frederick's Ice Cream, Bolton Rd, Heath Charnock, Chorley PR7 4AL (drive south along the A6 for five minutes; the nearest bus stop is Worcester Place which is well served by regular services from Chorley including the 125 to Bolton; for walkers the Leeds Liverpool Canal tow path offers an easy 30-minute walk from Chorley), parlour.fredericks@gmail.com. Daily 9AM-10PM. Local legends and unmissable sight on the A6 south of Chorley (especially when it's busy and the local roads overflow with customer's parked cars). Frederick's is a family-owned and operated ice cream parlour since 1936 and has earned justifiable renown for the sheer variety of flavours on offer which include traditional favourites, seasonal specialties, experimental one-offs and inspired moonshots. An unmissable treat on a hot day, especially for cyclists and walkers on the picturesque Leeds Liverpool Canal. All ice cream is produced on-site and a limited selection is also available at Massa's Café in Chorley town centre. £3 to £10 depending on complexity.. (updated Dec 2023)

Drink

• 1 The Top Lock, Copthurst Ln, Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley PR6 8LP (for walkers and cyclists it is right next to the Leeds Liverpool Canal about two miles north of Chorley or take the number 2 bus to Blackburn and alight in Wheelton and walk 500 m down Kenyon Lane). Su-Th 8AM-midnight, F Sa 8AM-1AM. A popular spot with boaters who have just conquered the adjacent flight of locks on the canal and intensely popular with locals, the recently reopened Top Lock is a cozy and traditional pub that offers a varied selection of beers from independent breweries. On a hot day there is ample seating outside to watch narrowboats putter by and enjoy the views of the Lostock valley, while dark winter days bring the roaring log fire and table games inside into their own. Dog friendly and very informal. (updated Dec 2023)

Sleep

• Premier Inn Chorley South, Bolton Road, PR7 4AB, ☏ +44 871 527 8248. The hotel has an onsite restaurant and has free onsite parking. From £29 for private rooms. 
• Premier Inn Chorley North, Malthouse Farm, Moss Lane, Whittle-Le-Woods, Chorley, PR6 8AB, ☏ +44 871 527 8248. The hotel has an onsite restaurant and has free onsite parking. From £29 for private rooms. 

Connect

All major phone networks offer 5G in built-up areas, with the surrounding countryside benefitting from near-ubiquitous 4G service.

Go next

• Manchester or Liverpool for big city attractions, or north into the Lake District.

Routes through Chorley

Glasgow ← Preston ←	N  S	→ Wigan → Liverpool
merges with (North) / ←	NW  SE	→ Horwich → Manchester
Preston ←	NW  SE	→ Horwich → Manchester