Rivington Pike Easter

The traditional Easter trip to Rivington Pike attracts thousands of visitors each year and has become even more popular since the lockdowns a few years ago.

Rivington Pike Easter Fair

A long-standing local tradition is the Easter fair, starting on Good Friday each year at Rivington Pike. In the past, the fair was held on the upper slopes of The Pike itself. However, erosion damage to the hill and modern health and safety rules and regulations have caused the fair to move to the rough road just below The Pike. Some readers may have fond memories of precariously placed stalls and ‘bouncy castles’ perched at gravity-defying angles on the hill, several decades ago.

In recent years, hot food stalls, confectionery and ice cream sellers, traditional fairground games such as the ever-popular ‘Hook a Duck,’ and several attractions for small children in the form of ‘bouncy castles’ and ‘roundabouts’ have been offered.

It is not advisable to attempt to drive to this location as the vehicles you will see in the above photo, the ‘road’ as you may loosely define it, is in fact an extremely rough broken cobbled surface and will wreck your car.

Rivington Pike on Good Friday

On Good Friday, literally thousands of people will ascend the pike from before dawn to after dusk. Many families choose to spend the rest of the day strolling around the Terraced Gardens. At this time, you may see Lord Leverhulme’s gift to Bolton as he intended, with local people and visitors enjoying the gardens, away from the industry and work of town and city.

Inclement Weather

‘If Rivington Pike do wear a hood, Be sure the day will ne’er be good.’

Some years at Easter, The Pike is shrouded in rain and mist and terrible, biting winds but; you will still find many people at the top of the hill, sheltering around the Pike Tower. Rivington Hall Barn is a welcome stop on the way back down and is often full to the rafters with damp but merry people taking food and refreshment within its ancient wooden cruck frame, reminiscent of a medieval feast or as one might imagine Viking hoards having returned from a great adventure.

History of The Rivington Pike Easter Fair

There isn’t mention of a fair at the Pike going back too far historically but there are mentions of pace egg rolling common to Rivington Pike and other surrounding hills in Lancashire.

“Pace eggs,” also known as “paste eggs” or “pace-egging,” is an Easter tradition in the UK, particularly in the northern regions such as Lancashire, Yorkshire, and parts of Cumbria. The tradition involves decorating and rolling hard-boiled eggs down a hill to celebrate Easter.

The eggs are often decorated using various techniques such as dyeing, painting, or applying intricate patterns. Sometimes, onion skins or natural dyes are used to color the eggs.

The rolling of pace eggs down a hill is typically part of an Easter Monday custom where families and communities gather outdoors for games and festivities. The rolling of the eggs symbolizes the rolling away of the stone from the tomb of Jesus Christ during the resurrection. It’s a joyful activity that brings people together to celebrate the arrival of spring and the Easter holiday.

Created: 26  March  2024  Edited: 29  March  2024