Rivington services
M61 between J6 and J8 (there is no J7)
Signposted from the road.
BL6 5UZ
map and directions
Two sites located between junctions, connected by a pedestrian footbridge.
A range of facilities sitting on the site of Bolton West, formerly one of the worst-ranked services around.
Facilities
Catering: on both sides: Burger King, Greggs, Starbucks, Subway, Calippo Slush, Rollover, Skwishee Iced Drinks, Starbucks on the Go
plus northbound only: Krispy Kreme
Shops: SPAR
Amenities: Rivington Lodge, Free Cash Machine, Jackpot Lounge, Multi Faith Room, Showers
Outdoor Space: Grass areas around car park; Dog Walking Area; Children's Play Area
Charging Points: EV On the Move 175kW CCS, 100kW CHAdeMO & 22kW Type 2
Forecourt: BP, LPG (Premier)
Parking Prices
First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £12 for up to 24 hours and HGVs, coaches and commercial vehicles must pay £25, or £28 to include a £10 meal voucher.
Prices are paid in the shop.
The fees are strictly enforced by Parking Eye.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Euro Garages
Anderton Motorway Services Area
M61
Horwich
Bolton
Lancashire
BL6 5UZ
- Official EG On The Move/Rivington Northbound website
- EG On The Move/Rivington Southbound website
- Foursquare Page
- 📞 Telephone number: 01204 669962 (northbound)
01204 460482 (southbound)
Trivia and Design
See also: History:Rivington
The current Rivington services is unrecognisable from the place it replaced, Bolton West services. It was completely rebuilt and renamed in 2011, having already been renamed several times.
The new buildings are much smaller than what was there before, and are effectively just large petrol stations. This is unusual for a British motorway, but more in-keeping with some continental service areas.
The service area has two bridge crossings: one footbridge and one driving bridge, neither of which serve as a Rear Access (except for the public footpath which crosses the site). The reason for this isn't entirely clear. The toilet facilities are accessed from the SPAR store with little signage from the rest of the service area.
The Subway stores here are Halal.
In Spring 2017, Transport Focus calculated a 100% satisfaction score for the northbound services and 95% for the southbound services. This meant the northbound side was one of the country's top two. By 2019 it had fallen to a mediocre 84% and 87% respectively.
Rivington is used as the only site from which Transport Focus calculate a total score for Euro Garages. In 2017 and 2018 is ranked them as one of the best operators (97%), but in 2019 they got by far the worst score - 86%. This was back to 97% in 2020, showing just how erratic Transport Focus can be. Their figures also show us that Starbucks is the most popular food offer here. EG Group later opted out of these surveys.
Recent Developments
LEON Coffee machines were introduced here in summer 2022, as part of a trial replacing the former Starbucks on the Go machines. The intention for EG Group was to roll-out LEON Coffee to replace Starbucks on the Go across their network, but following the buyout from Asda this was later dropped.
Rivington was one of the last motorway service areas in the country not to have an electric vehicle charging point. Fuuse added a single charger to each side in early 2023, with EG Group then following later in September with six EV Point chargers on each side. The southbound side also includes a high-powered charger for electric HGVs - a first for a motorway service area.
Although Euro Garages became EG Group in 2016, the service area continued to use the old branding throughout. In fact, despite almost all EG Group forecourts transferring to Asda in 2023, this site remained unsold. It now falls under Zuber Issa's latest venture, EG On The Move.
As a result of the changes, the LEON Coffee machines were replaced with new Starbucks machines in Spring 2024, while a number of additional food to go offers were added. The EV charging points rebranded to 'EV On the Move' in September 2024.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Birch (M62 east, 13 miles) | Services on the M61 | Lancaster (M6 north, 27 miles) Blackburn with Darwen (M65, 15 miles) Tickled Trout (M6 north, 13 miles) |
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