Old Station Park

I’ve spent many hours on the mighty Old Station Park, getting up to wholesome and, well, not so wholesome hi-​jinx.
Old Station Park is the place for dreamers. You have your first illicit fag or stolen cheek-​reddening kiss on these hallowed grounds that once was a hub of railway activity.
The last train has long pulled out of this particular bit of Horwich, and so many jobs went with it. Seen as an act of hope-​filling civic pride, this park was a beacon for a former community bond. However, once the jobs went, the alcoholism and heroin rolled into town, which, when the moon comes up, seeps into the folds of this fine park.
Basically, in the daylight hours, this is a really fun place with a couple of playgrounds, some ornamental train wheels (to act as a reminder of what went before and, alas, the keeper of some of my more un-​wholesome secrets… to which, I apologise to that man walking his dog. I was unseasonably warm and I’d been drinking) and the like and, come the night, the scallies mooch about, bored and S shaped, shooting up and passing out on grass verges.
I dearly love this place though and it is great in the summer. A place filled with children making rubbish dams in Pearl Brook and people offering to play in skins on the nearby astroturf.
Old Station Park — I love you… provided you don’t tell me mum what I used to get up to with you.

As its name would suggest, this park is built on what used to be Horwich Station. The trains have long gone, but they’ve been replaced by a very good little park. There’s plenty of space for the kids to let off steam, and there’s been significant recent investment in the playground too, with the result that the swings and slides on offer are now very good. There are paths to explore (up to the local swimming pool, for example), a small stream that runs through the park, and some half-​decent sports facilities too. The biggest downside, perhaps, is the car park, which is small and only accessible by way of some back-​streets. But all in all, a good place for a run around.