The romantic walk a short drive from Manchester which feels straight out of a fairytale

On the outskirts of Greater Manchester over the border in Chorley, is a ‘lost garden’, where you’ll discover mysterious ruins, waterfalls and meandering paths. Rivington Terraced Gardens, just five miles from Bolton, was once a well-maintained formal garden, yet for decades it was abandoned and nature was allowed to reclaim it.

Located on a series of terraces on the western side of Winter Hill below Rivington Pike, the gardens cover an area of around 45 acres in size. Take a walk around the gardens and you’ll feel as if you’ve stumbled into an old film set lost to the midsts of time - there’s even a mediaeval-looking tower which Rapunzel wouldn’t look out of place in.

The gardens were created by the soap magnate Lord Leverhulme, the founder of Lever Brothers (now Unilever). With the help of landscape gardener Thomas Mawson, the gardens began to take shape from 1905 to 1925.

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Lord Leverhulme had ambitious plans with the gardens and wanted to create a magical landscape with different areas to explore. He even had a bungalow built at the site to serve as a holiday home - although the original bungalow was burned down by Suffragette Edith Rigby in 1913 and a second one was rebuilt.

However, after Lever's death the gardens were sold with many aspects left unfinished. Following World War Two the gardens were abandoned and the houses on the site were demolished.

Today United Utilities owns the land and the Rivington Heritage Trust conservation and repair project is underway led by volunteers, helping to clear the overgrown areas and maintain the gardens. Visitors are able to visit the gardens for free and see what remains of