Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England.
The town lies midway between the cities of Manchester, 16 miles (25.7 km) to the south-east, and Liverpool, 17 miles (27 km) to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town has a population of 107,732 and the wider borough of 330,714. Wigan was part of the historic county of Lancashire.
Getting to Wigan
Wigan stands between the M61 (Manchester-Preston, use exit 5 onto A58) and M6 (Midlands-Carlisle, use jcn 26 which is also the terminus of M58 from Liverpool). Manchester Airport (MAN IATA) 25 miles southeast has a direct train hourly, taking one hour to Wigan North Western and continuing north to Barrow-in-Furness.
Worth seeing
- 01Wigan Pier
The famous pier is simply an old canal wharf, and the area has been redeveloped with apartments.
- 02Museum of Wigan Life
Council-run museum depicts life in Wigan from the Roman settlement of Cocchium to its present status as an urban borough within Greater Manchester.
Things to do
Football:
- 01Wigan Athletic
"The Latics" were relegated in 2023 so they now play soccer in League One, England's third tier.
- 02Leigh Sports Village
- 03Three Sisters Circuit
Where to eat
Meat pies: lots of outlets, though they may have been trucked in from miles away. The World Pie-Eating Championships are held annually, usually in Nov / Dec in Harry's Bar in Wallgate.
Getting around Wigan the local way
- Go nextManchester is an unmissable lively city, an easy day trip from Bolton.
From Wikivoyage: Bolton, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.