Leigh: Greater Manchester's Rugby League Town Between Wigan and the East Lancs Road
Leigh is in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, about 12 miles west of Manchester city centre and four miles southeast of Wigan itself. The population is around 43,000. Rugby league is the sport here. Leigh Leopards (formerly Leigh Centurions) play at the Leigh Sports Village, a modern complex opened in 2008 that also served as a training venue during the 2012 Olympics. The town grew on cotton and coal in the 19th century. The last pit, Bickershaw Colliery, closed in 1992. The town centre on Bradshawgate and Market Street has an indoor market and a handful of local shops that have held on through the online retail shift.
Leigh lacks a railway station, which is unusual for a town its size in Greater Manchester. The guided busway, opened in 2016, runs from Leigh to Manchester via the East Lancashire Road (A580) with a dedicated bus lane, cutting the journey to about 50 minutes. The A580 itself connects to the M6 westbound and the M60 eastbound. Pennington Flash Country Park, a 170-acre lake formed by mining subsidence, is the main local green space and hosts sailing and birdwatching. Astley Green Colliery Museum, just south of Leigh, preserves one of the last pithead winding gear structures in Lancashire. For those interested in adult companionship in the Wigan borough, Leigh's position on the A580 gives it road connections to both Manchester and Liverpool, with Wigan a short drive to the northwest.
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Leigh is in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, about 12 miles west of Manchester city centre and four miles southeast of Wigan itself. The population is around 43,000. Rugby league is the sport here. Leigh Leopards (formerly Leigh Centurions) play at the Leigh Sports Village, a modern complex opened in 2008 that also served as a training venue during the 2012 Olympics. The town grew on cotton and coal in the 19th century. The last pit, Bickershaw Colliery, closed in 1992. The town centre on Bradshawgate and Market Street has an indoor market and a handful of local shops that have held on through the online retail shift.
Leigh lacks a railway station, which is unusual for a town its size in Greater Manchester. The guided busway, opened in 2016, runs from Leigh to Manchester via the East Lancashire Road (A580) with a dedicated bus lane, cutting the journey to about 50 minutes. The A580 itself connects to the M6 westbound and the M60 eastbound. Pennington Flash Country Park, a 170-acre lake formed by mining subsidence, is the main local green space and hosts sailing and birdwatching. Astley Green Colliery Museum, just south of Leigh, preserves one of the last pithead winding gear structures in Lancashire. For those interested in adult companionship in the Wigan borough, Leigh's position on the A580 gives it road connections to both Manchester and Liverpool, with Wigan a short drive to the northwest.
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