Living in Bolton, UK – What to Know Before Moving

Best places to live in Bolton

The following areas are considered a few of the better places to live in Bolton.

Horwich (postcode district: BL6)

A town located west of Bolton’s town centre. Horwich has the benefit of being close to a number of train stations including Horwich Parkway, Blackrod, and Lostock. Horwich has a large shopping centre and quick access to medical care such as the Beaumont Hospital.

Westhoughton (postcode district: Bl5)

Another town located west of Bolton’s town centre. Like Horwich, it has good access to public transportation with two train stations (Westhoughton and Daisy Hill) in the area.

Darwen (postcode district: BB3)

A town located north of Bolton. It’s also within close proximity to Blackburn. It might not be the best when it comes to shopping and dining choices but the area does offer plenty of access to green spaces and parks if that’s part of your main priorities. Transport and driving might be an issue though with only two main roads in the area.

Worst places to live in Bolton

The following are some of the places in Bolton you may want to consider avoiding.

Farnworth (postcode district: BL4)

The general recommendation is not live in an area that’s too close to Bolton’s town centre, which is where Farnworth is situated. Farnworth is considered to be on more of the deprived side when compared against other towns around the area.

Breightmet (postcode district: BL2)

A town located east of Bolton’s town centre. It’s an area which many Bolton residents will tell you to avoid as it’s considered one of the rougher parts of Bolton.

Halliwell (postcode district: BL1)

A town located just north of Bolton’s town centre. Up to 70% of households in the area is deprived in at least one dimension (based on the household deprivation index).

Housing prices in Bolton

The following is based on data from the UK House Price Index (August 2023).

Detached properties

The average price of a detached property was £342K (+45% vs. 5 years ago).

Semi-detached properties

The average price of a semi-detached property was £202K (+43% vs. 5 years ago).

Terraced properties

The average price of a terraced property was £149K (+41% vs. 5 years ago).

Flats and apartments

The average price of a flat was £112K (26% vs. 5 years ago).

Public Transportation & Commuting

Bus access

Public bus routes in Bolton are run by Transport for Greater Manchester. You may find that it’s well-integrated as part of a broader transport network called the Bee Network.

Train access

There are three train stations in the metropolitan borough of Bolton. They are Bolton, Hall i’ th’ Wood, and Lostock train stations. You can get on the Northern Rail and travel directly to cities such as Manchester and Blackburn. There is also the TransPennine Express, which can take you to cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Closest airports to Bolton

Manchester airport is the closest airport to Bolton. It can take up to 50 minutes by train (Northern Rail) or up to 1 hour by car if you drive during rush hour.

Schools

Primary schools

There are many options to pick with up to 102 primary schools in the borough. The most popular choices with an Ofsted ranking of outstanding include Pikes Lane Primary School, Eatock Primary School, Johnson Fold Community Primary School, and Moorgate Primary School.

Secondary schools

The most popular choices of secondary schools in Bolton include Rumworth School and Eden Boys’ School Bolton.