A NEW bus service taking people to Rivington will be on the road this Bank Holiday Monday to take people to the popular beauty spot.

The bus service links Bolton and Horwich with Rivington and will run every half-an-hour from 9.30am on Sunday and Monday.

The service operates on a hail and ride basis, so people are asked to hail it from a safe space ­— including Lower Barn and the village green.

The Community Rail Partnership (CRP) won funding from Community Rail Network’s Integrated Transport Fund which enabled the extension of an existing commercial bus service – the 575 from Bolton to Horwich, operated by Diamond Bus North West – through to Rivington.

The half-hourly service operates every Sunday and bank holiday until late October, taking a circular one-way route from Horwich into Rivington and returning via Horrobin Lane and New Road.

Paul Salveson, chair of the CRP, said the new service was about improving accessibility and also offering an alternative to the car.

He said “Rivington is already starting to fill up with cars once more, as Covid restrictions ease. The bus offers an alternative to the hassle of trying to find somewhere to park. But many people haven’t been able to get to Rivington because of lack of public transport. Now they can – thanks to the help we’ve had from CRN’s Integrated Transport Fund. We’ve also been able to use some funding from our partners CrossCountry Trains, enabling people from further afield to use the train and bus to reach Rivington.”

The CRP partnered with Rotala-owned bus company Diamond, which has a large depot in Bolton. “Diamond has been a great company to work with,” said Paul. “We hope this will be the beginnings of a wider collaboration to improve bus-rail links in our partnership area around Bolton, Wigan, Salford and Chorley.”

Diamond Bus North West said:“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the South East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership to bring this service to Rivington by extending our 575 service to run from Old Lord’s Estate, Horwich to Rivington and back again. This is an opportunity that we could not turn down and allows us to continue to give something back to our local community and allow everybody the chance to visit one of the most popular local tourist hotspots in the North West.”

Download the timetable here

The new bus service can be accessed by rail at Bolton with trains arriving from Clitheroe, Blackburn and Darwen at 19 mins past the hour and buses leaving the bus station at 30 mins past the hour from 09:30 to 16:30.