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Tuesday 31 December 2013

Ferris Wheel in Bolton Town Centre

Bolton Council, in their "wisdom," decided to treat visitors to Bolton this Christmas to an offer to ride a Big Wheel (at a cost of £3.50 per person mind) and to enjoy "a bird’s eye view of the rolling Pennine countryside when people reach the top of the wheel and it will be brightly lit each evening" (Bolton News)  
The huge 100ft Ferris wheel was set up in Victoria Square from December 12 and is  thought to be the only giant wheel in Greater Manchester this Christmas.
 
 
On impulse, on a shopping trip to try to spend my Christmas money (failing miserably as there are only pound shops, mobile phone shops and cash converter shops in the town centre) I decided to take my son on the wheel.
 
 
Armed with only my I-phone camera, we climbed into a "gondola" which started to rock precariously as it set off and upwards . . .
 
 
 
 
I am not sure if I was more nervous about the rocking gondola or what views I might behold at the top, but luckily, it moved at quite a pace . . .
 
 
 
 
We passed over the people of Bolton, going about their business, shoplifting, skating on the temporary rink, or merely sitting on the town hall square, drinking meths . . .
 
 
 
 
 
 
If I squinted I could just about see the "rolling Pennine countryside" mentioned in the Bolton News, but it is verging on being a false advertising claim . . .
 
 
 
The best view was of the town hall clock tower . . .
 
 
 
Or a view of the Arndale loading bay with the Parish church in the far distance . . .
 
All too soon, the experience was over and we were helped out of our Gondola by a Council worker, onto an extremely slippery wooden platform.
 
 
 
Enough excitement for one day . . .
 
 
 
 
Thank you, Bolton Council - my bin only gets emptied once a fortnight but I have seen Bolton from high up and for that I should be extremely thankful . . .
 
Apologies for quality of photos - I-phone was all I had.
 
 

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