If you are planning to be out and about early on Sunday (7 June), it is worth knowing that Ironman 70.3 Bolton is passing through the area, and a number of local roads will be closed for part of the morning.
It is one of the biggest sporting weekends in the region. Thousands of athletes take on a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run, which is where the 70.3 in the name comes from. The swim starts at Pennington Flash in Leigh at 6.15am, and from there the cycling route heads out through Lowton on its way towards Bolton, where the run finishes in the town centre.
That bike route is the reason for the closures closest to home. On Sunday morning, the roads affected in and around Lowton are expected to be:
- St Helens Road, Sandy Lane, Byrom Lane, Slag Lane and Lowton Road, from 6-10am.
- Wigan Road / Warrington Road (A573), from 6-10.30am.
Some of these are full closures and others apply in one direction only, so it is not a case of every road being shut all morning. But if you live on or just off one of them, there may be a period on Sunday morning when getting in or out by car is difficult, and in a few places the only way out of an estate could be affected if the road at the top is closed. Crossing points are in place at certain junctions to let traffic through when it is safe, and you can cross the route on foot at any time when it is clear to do so.
Lowton Road in Golborne will be one of those which is closed for the Ironman race.
If you are setting off from Golborne, it is worth checking your route in advance, as the way out may take you to a particular crossing point rather than your usual road.
Because the exact direction and timing changes from street to street, the most reliable thing to do is check your own road before the day.
Ironman has full maps and a live closure map on its traffic and road access page, and there is a road access hotline on 03330 11 66 00 running through the race weekend. You can also email bolton70.3roadaccess@ironman.com ahead of Sunday, though that inbox will not be monitored on race day itself.
Most local roads should reopen by 10am or shortly after, so the disruption is concentrated in the first part of the morning rather than running on into the afternoon.
And if Sunday morning is a slow one for you anyway, this is a good one to go and watch. The riders come through early, and there is a lot to be said for standing at the roadside with a brew and cheering on people who have trained for months to get there.