Town is capital for shopping

As a self-confessed shopaholic I was the perfect choice to send out to four of Bolton's close neighbours to see how they compared with Bolton for council-run car park prices and the overall shopping experience.

Having lived, and shopped, in Bolton for more than 20 years I do find it difficult to find my way round a new town and I have a real affection for the town centre.

Bolton has some decent department stores and a wide selection of smaller shops, ranging from sports' stores to designer clothing boutiques.

For availability and ease of parking, accessibility of tourist information and plenty of toilet facilities Bolton, in my view, takes some beating.

Here are my findings and you can judge for yourself.

BOLTON

Bolton has a good selection of shops, from department stores, including Debenhams and Whitakers, to smaller specialist shops. Parking is easy, there is plenty of it, and the town centre is compact. The Market Place shopping centre is ideal on a rainy day as it is all undercover. The open and indoor markets attract a great deal of visitors.

PARKING

Parking is available throughout the town centre and there are three different zones within Bolton Council's remit with differing parking prices.

Prices

Car parking varies in price depending on how near to the town centre you want to be. The "outer zone" car parks start at 30p for 30 minutes and rise to £2.30 for three to 10 hours. The "inner zone" car parks cost 60p for 30 minutes and rise to £3.50 for up to four hours.

There are "intermediate" car parks and they cost 60p for an hour, rising to £3 for four to 10 hours. On Saturdays you pay £1.90 all day for an outer zone car park and on Sundays council car parks are free.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Tourist information is available at Bolton Town Hall.

SHOPPING

A good mix of shops and all within a fairly small radius -- so very convenient.

TOILET FACILITIES

Plenty of toilet facilities, including in the Market Place and Crompton Place shopping centres.

CAFES

A good range of cafes and coffee shops to choose from

Overall shopping experience :

NINE OUT OF 10

PRESTON

Preston has recently received city status so I, perhaps rather unfairly, expected to be more impressed by the centre than I was.

I was looking forward to a morning of unrivalled shopping in huge department stores and trendy designer boutiques -- but I was wrong.

Preston does have some interesting small shops, and a good-sized Marks and Spencer but that is about it. I was not impressed by the shopping centre.

Denise and Frank Fitzgerald, who live in Preston, had very different views about the benefits of shopping in the city.

Denise, aged 28, said: "I enjoy shopping in Preston. I have been to Bolton but we usually go on the train. I do prefer Preston."

Husband Frank, 41, disagreed and said: "I think Bolton is better than Preston."

Mrs Janet Sleddon, aged 39, from Preston said she often visited Bolton as her sister lives in Heaton.

She said: "We usually park at my sister's house and take the bus into town. I think high parking charges could put people off driving in to the town centre."

Andrea Parkes, aged 23, was visiting Preston from Blackpool. "I come to Preston because shopping in Blackpool is so poor.

"I love Bolton though and try to get there as often as I can. I think increased parking charges will put me off a bit, although I will probably use the train rather than drive to Bolton."

PARKING

Parking is readily available and fairly easy to find. I parked in the bus station multi-storey car park which was just a stone's throw from the main shopping area in Fishergate and was the first car park I found as I approached the city centre.

Prices

During the week the prices range from 70p for up to one hour, £1.80 for up to three hours and £3.50 for over four hours. On a Saturday it will cost £1.10 for up to two hours and £2.50 for over two hours. Sundays and public holidays are free. There is a park and ride facility available from the outskirts of the town centre.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Tourist information is available at the Guild Hall Box Office, a couple of minutes' walk from the main shopping area. There are leaflets available about the open market -- a popular tourist attraction.

SHOPPING

The shops are fairly basic, but adequate. There is one decent department store, Debenhams, a good-sized Marks and Spencer and a variety of smaller shops including Gap and Waterstones. I did find several designer boutiques.

TOILET FACILITIES

A spokesman for the city council told me that Preston had experienced "big problems" with public toilets. He said: "There had been a lot of vandalism so we had to close some of our toilets in the parks and the city centre." There are facilities in the Fishergate and St George's shopping centres and at the market.

CAFES

Plenty of places to eat including a variety of smaller cafes, a cafe in Marks and Spencer and the obligatory McDonalds.

Overall shopping experience :

FIVE OUT OF 10

CHORLEY

Chorley is a very small town centre with no major department stores -- it does not even have a Marks and Spencer, my personal prerequisite for any good shopping centre. There is a reasonable market.

Mrs Denise Pilkington, aged 47, lives in Chorley and visits Preston more than Bolton. She said: "Chorley is a good place to shop but you do need to visit a major town for more choice." Shop assistant Mrs Gail Cornwell, said she enjoyed shopping in Bolton. She said: "I love it in Bolton. I like the shops, I like the town hall square, the museum and the art gallery.

"It is really nice in the centre. I like to go in the cafes and have lunch in Bolton.

"If I drive to Bolton I tend to go on a Sunday when the parking is free. If the car parking prices go up it will put me off going during the week, although I might go on the bus."

PARKING

Parking is a nightmare! I found myself in the outdoor Flat Iron car park, which is right next to the outdoor market -- and it was market day. I had to leave again as I could not find a parking space. I went back in when I could not find another car park and eventually found a space but by this time I was rather exasperated.

Prices

Parking is relatively inexpensive but you do not need to allow a lot of time to shop in Chorley. If you park in the Flat Iron car park, which is a short-stay car park and is the most convenient, up to one hour costs 50p, one to two hours is 80p, two to three hours is £1.50, three to four hours is £2.00 and for to five hours £3.

Over five hours will cost £5. Sundays and bank holidays are free. Other, less convenient, car parks start at 40p for up to one hour and rise to £2.20 for three to four hours. There are long-stay car parks in Chorley where you will pay £2.20 for the whole day.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Tourist information is available at the corner of Market Street and Fazackerley Street.

SHOPPING

There is not much I can say about shopping in Chorley. Not a place for the dedicated clothes shopper but the market is worth a look.

TOILET FACILITIES

There are public toilets at the covered market.

CAFES

A few small cafes and coffee shops.

Overall shopping experience:

TWO OUT OF 10

WIGAN

I found Wigan an interesting shopping centre, but lacking, once again, in large stores. There is a Marks and Spencer -- although it is much smaller than the Bolton store. I easily found somewhere to park in the Galleries shopping precinct in Market Street.

Wigan shoppers were fairly sentimental about their town. Mr Albert Groves, who lives in Standish, said he preferred to shop in Wigan. "It is a smaller town and easy to get round."

Mrs Dawn Challiner, of Wigan, said she enjoyed going to Bolton, but felt the car parking was too expensive. "It is cheaper to park in Wigan so I tend to come in to Wigan more often than Bolton."

PARKING

Wigan has a large selection of places to park. The Galleries shopping centre multi-storey, where I parked, was simple to find, bright and cheerful, and led directly in to the shopping centre itself -- so ideal on a wet day.

Prices

Parking prices are standard throughout the town's car parks. Up to three hours is £1.20, three to four hours costs £2.50, four to six hours is £4 and over six hours will set you back £6.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Tourist information is available at Wigan Pier.

SHOPPING

Not a bad selection of shops but Wigan lacks big department stores.

TOILET FACILITIES

Main public toilets are in the Galleries shopping precinct and include disabled and baby-changing facilities. There is another set at Wigan Bus Station and both sets are easily accessible for town centre shoppers.

CAFES

Wigan has a selection of small cafes.

Overall shopping experience:

FIVE OUT OF 10

BURY

Bury is a busy market town and has a great indoor and outdoor market. The black pudding stall was very busy on the day I visited. The town has an inviting indoor shopping area with a good range of shops.

Miss Christina Frain, aged 22, who works in Bury but lives in Little Lever, said she believed a rise in car parking charges would force shoppers out of Bolton and into Bury, particularly if they enjoy shopping at traditional markets.

She said: "I think it will force people to shop in towns like Bury. I think people will come to Bury market rather than Bolton market."

Mrs Joyce Parkinson, aged 48, said she enjoyed shopping in Bolton "when I get the chance".

She said: "Because I work full-time it's difficult to get time to go shopping. If I go to Bolton I go on a Sunday when the parking is free."

PARKING

I found parking my car a relatively simple procedure. I followed the town centre signs and parked in the multi-storey right next to the Millgate Shopping Centre. There are lots of car parks to choose from around the ring road and in the town centre.

Prices

Car parking prices are set to rise in Bury by 10p on April 1 but are relatively inexpensive. You can pay just 70p for up to two hours parking in Bury and £1.10 for up to three hours. Over four hours parking will cost you £2.40 on some of Bury's car parks.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Tourist information is available at The Met Arts Centre in Market Street and is, according to the council's press office, a well-used service by the many out-of-town visitors to Bury's popular market.

SHOPPING

Plenty of interesting shops and a great deal of the shopping area is under cover -- so ideal on a rainy day. The market is excellent. Look out for the stall selling chain store shoe seconds.

TOILET FACILITIES

There are public toilet facilities scattered around Bury including at the open market and at the Millgate shopping centre.

CAFES

Some interesting cafes and coffee shops in the town centre. Check out Katsouris Greek Cafe and delicatessen near the market. It was packed when I paid a visit.

Overall shopping experience:

SEVEN OUT OF 10