Footpath through trees in Bottling Wood, Haigh Woodland Park, Wigan

Where to go · Greater Manchester

Forest bathing at Haigh Woodland Park

Beech woods and old plantations around Haigh Hall, on the edge of Wigan, with miles of paths.

Haigh Woodland Park surrounds Haigh Hall on the north-east edge of Wigan, set in about 350 acres of woodland and parkland run by Wigan Council. The woods are mostly beech, with oak, horse chestnut, sycamore, ash, lime and Scots pine, and Bottling Wood is ancient woodland. Below the hall, the plantations run down to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

There are around forty miles of paths, so it is easy to get away from the busy area round the hall, which has cafés, a walled garden, a miniature railway and play and golf attractions. Head into the plantations or down through Bottling Wood for quieter walking. The beeches are at their best in autumn, and give good shade in summer. The hall and some of the woodland are being restored, so you may find work under way.

Practical

Managed by
Wigan Council
Terrain
Woodland paths and tracks
Nearest station
Wigan North Western, about 2 miles
Facilities
Cafés, restaurants, walled garden, toilets, information centre
Opening and entry
Woods open access, free
Official page
haighwoodlandpark.co.uk

Last updated 4 November 2026. Paths, parking and access can change, so check before you visit. Spotted something out of date? Please let us know.

Guides nearby

Three guides within 15 miles of Haigh Woodland Park

More woodlands in Greater Manchester

All venues in Greater Manchester
Winter trees in the deer park at Dunham Massey, Greater ManchesterDunham MasseyMedieval deer park of ancient trees near Altrincham, with free-roaming fallow deerEtherow Country Park, Compstall, Greater ManchesterEtherow Country ParkWoods, river and an old mill pond in the Etherow valley at Compstall, near MarpleThe River Spodden running through woodland in Healey Dell, RochdaleHealey Dell Nature ReserveWooded gorge of the River Spodden near Rochdale, with waterfalls, mill ruins and a viaduct

Photos: Dunham Massey, Jeff Buck (CC BY-SA 2.0); Etherow Country Park, Stephen Burton (CC BY-SA 2.0); Healey Dell Nature Reserve, Bill Boaden (CC BY-SA 2.0).