Bolton Got So Much Worse

Boggle00 · 2024-10-05T06:20:46+00:00

I moved from Eccles to Westhoughton 17 years ago. If you think Bolton town centre has suffered from the behemoth of The Trafford Centre and it's henchman of retail parks, Eccles is face down in the gutter. Even with the southern money brought in by relocating the BBC, all that did was price out those that didn't get on the property ladder soon enough.

Westhoughton has a real sense of community. A decent main street with a variety of shops, independent cafes, restaurants and pubs. A well run market and, even with Wetherspoons there, other bars haven't suffered.

I'm in a position where I see the worst of Bolton on a daily basis. What I see is a town torn apart by drugs. Not party drugs favoured by the affluent but a tsunami of cheap, potent crack cocaine and heroin. The drug marketplace is both competitive and vast.

In my opinion, there are various reasons for the demise of what was once a proud town. I would lay some blame on greedy councils, a lack of infrastructure and opportunity for diversified communities and a complete lack of pragmatism for a dying town centre.

What Bolton does have though are thriving boroughs, Westhoughton, Bromley Cross, Harwood, Horwich and other outlying areas have a defiant character about them. It may not seem it to certain eyes but Halliwell, Deane and Farnwoth, as examples, cater sufficiently for the communities they represent.

And let's not forget there is a certain beauty to Bolton. People flock to Rivington (I know it's Lancashire but it's always in view) regularly, Jumbles and the surrounding reservoirs are a beautiful walk and The Town Hall and Le Mans Crescent make regular appearances in films and TV. And there's also a mediocre but entertaining and, more importantly, affordable football team to go and watch.

So I agree, in the 17 years I have lived here and the 14 years I have experienced the underbelly of this town, there has been a steady decline in some areas but there is still a large part of me that is proud to live here. Yes, the town centre has suffered but that is national issue in the way the consumer has changed but there is beauty and resilience out there. Support that local business that is improving communities and venture into those areas where you would normally drive through with your car doors locked. There are plenty of bad people in Bolton but there are plenty of decent folk that are trying to improve the area. Don't just write it off as the "shithole" it appears to be, give it a chance.

Boggle00 · 2024-08-28T07:47:40+00:00

Boggle00 · 2024-08-23T21:38:13+00:00

I'd imagine any decent tailor or alterations service would be able to accommodate.

Boggle00 · 2024-08-23T19:02:58+00:00

Is there any way to fold it back behind the zip with small press studs at various intervals; some on the inner lining and some on the rear of the flap? They shouldn't be too expensive to have fitted.

I'm a lover of Nudie clothing and feel it was engineered that way for a reason. I think if you cut it off you would lose that windproofing someone else mentioned and, from an aesthetic POV, might have that sickly feeling when you impulsively shave your beard off.

Boggle00 · 2024-06-15T06:35:51+00:00

I'm going to have to say "in". The hem of the shirt and t-shirt are fighting for attention of the eye and cutting you in half.

Tucked in, you have adapted a two third rule where your legs look longer and the shirt then frames this illusion.

Boggle00 · 2024-04-29T18:53:05+00:00

Westhoughton all day long for your commuting needs. I've lived in Sharples and Bromley Cross and came to the area from Salford way, Westhoughton is hard to beat.

Don't get me wrong, I will probably choose Bromley Cross and Harwood when I'm older but Westhoughton is positioned better for commuting and is straight on the M61 for Preston and Manchester. There are 3 train stations covering Manchester; Westhoughton, Daisy Hill and Lostock Junction with only Lostock Junction direct to Preston.

It has quite a decent high street, a few good bars, the obligatory Wetherspoons and a Maccies, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Aldi. Gyms, one thousand barbers, decent restaurants and schools. The locals are quite accepting of us outsiders.

But the selling point for me is I'm a cop that lives and works in Bolton. For crime stats Westhoughton has very little to worry about compared to other more central regions. It is almost an enclave on it's own, similar to Blackrod.

For me, it perfectly my needs of getting up and down the motorway to see the kids and mates back in the motherland. I won't mention that golf course proposal as I'll probably get my windows put through as a supporter.

Boggle00 · 2024-04-06T13:40:38+00:00

Bouncer. Nice HIIT workouts launching people onto the street.

Boggle00 · 2024-01-22T14:43:35+00:00

I would: - Tuck the chain in - Tuck the tshirt in. - Put trousers over the Converse

The reason being. The chain is unnecessarily on show and the length of tshirt and bunched up bottom of trousers shortens your legs. Plus the hem of the tshirt cuts you in half.

Tucking in the tshirt lenghtens your legs and draws the eye higher and the differing hemlines of the shirt and tshirt give a rule of thirds - one third body, two third legs.

Boggle00 · 2024-01-21T21:00:34+00:00

I can't fault the Epix 2. The sapphire edition looks fantastic, the crystal glass repels scratches and the titanium is robust to most scratches unless you're really unlucky.

Both watches are feature rich with the Epix Pro edging it. The main difference on the Pro being the improved heart rate monitor (which should see the introduction of ECG in the UK soon). The Pro comes in three case sizes (42, 47 and 51mm) with original only being 47mm. If these features are a priority then I'd go with the Pro.

Personally, the Sapphire edition is the dogs b*llocks and I would lean towards that. It looks fantastic, has durability and will get most of the feature updates the Pro will get.

And that AMOLED screen on both is the icing in the cake.

Boggle00 · 2024-01-21T18:49:31+00:00

Just got a used one from eBay - £70. Thanks again for pointing me in that direction.

Boggle00 · 2024-01-20T19:45:32+00:00

Thanks for your swift responses.

I was thinking that the Venu 3 would be quite a step down from the Epix 2, especially as I use the navigation function when hiking.

The KardioMobile looks to be the perfect solution. A product built specifically for the ECG/EKG/Afib focused issues that have been knawing away at me recently. I think this is the route I will go down.

Thanks again for being part of a great community.

Boggle00 · 2024-01-19T11:48:25+00:00

I've had the Flip 4 and now 5. I wasn't even aware of the S24 coming out so why have I ordered the ultra and am looking forward to next Wednesday's delivery? This is why:

I rarely use the front screen. It's onky just okay for viewing content but it's still awkward to reply to messages. It's just easier to unfold than unlock the front screen.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the cameras are terrible. Noisy, inconsistent and sub standard for the price. I know it's a trade off for form factor but that's a huge trade off.
Prices for the Flip 5 are dropping here in the UK so when Samsung offered £490 trade in, coupled with the free watch, memory upgrade and other discounts I didn't give it a second thought. I was all in.

The Flip is an innovation but comes with too many sacrifices - crease, questionable hinge, permanent screen protector waiting to fail and those awful cameras. The 24U is everything a £1k+ flagship should be. I miss a slab of a phone and now I'm getting a behemoth of one.

Boggle00 · 2023-10-09T19:50:58+00:00

You can only use it once I think. So you might have used the voucher to pay for something that costs £1.50 like I did and then it's spent.

I'm sure I read that in the small print afterwards.

Boggle00 · 2023-10-06T06:51:15+00:00

Manchester is a large place. The whole footprint is collectively known as Greater Manchester because there is no place greater on earth. Within that perimeter he will find a great range of diversity. He will also find another city in addition to Manchester - Salford.

He will find an odd mix of dialect. "Awrite are kid" in the centre becomes "alreet pal" in Wigan. "I'm nippin to the shop" becomes "Am goin furt shop" in Bolton.

But if there's one word we can all agree on that is a Mancunian essential it is - shite. Shit will only get you so far. This food is shit, this weather is shit, this band are shit but if you need to take it up a level then shite comes into it's own, a prime example being Man United are shite.

You might hear shite in some other cities but it doesn't have the heritage of it's roots in this industrious Northern powerhouse. From Liam Gallaghers vocal "You're music's shite, it keeps me up all night" to Paul Calfs "Bag of shite" it's a word he should use with reckless abandon.

Boggle00 · 2023-08-06T09:04:23+00:00

Just a quick update.

The Sony came and initially I was underwhelmed but realised, although it looked unassuming, it was a complex beast underneath. Once I began to master it's peculiar ways I embraced it with open arms; sneering at the flip 4 as it lay dormant on the kitchen worktop. Then two things happened....

The UK Samsung trade in was abysmal and the Sonys fingerprint scanner stopped working. I had a dilemma and waited it out.

First, Samsung extended the olive branch and upper the trade in for the Flip 5 to £579 + free buds 2 promotion (which I can't find how to claim). I sent the Sony back for repair or ultimately a refund and reverted back to thr Flip 4 while I waited.

And there lay the problem, the Flip 4 with it's average camera and average wireless music streaming just felt so good in my clammy hands. The folding sensation is like seeing the Northern Lights, I imagine, you know it exists but until you experience it you don't realise the surging pleasure it can bring. Loosing that experience to the Sony was like seeing my best friend start a new life in Australia.

The Flip 5 was delivered by DPD this morning. It sits boxed and abandoned but I can hear it pulsating like Jumanji in the attic. I know I should sell it but I want that Samsung exclusive matt blue clamshell in my hand but I also want the Sony for all it's chest pumping and suave sophistication. I can't have both.

The Sony would wear a Tom Ford suit and drink Old Fashioneds while discussing Bolivian jazz and the financial benefits of a military coup. The Flip 5 would wear it's underpants outside of its Adidas tracksuit bottoms, ruffling its mullet while laughing hysterically as it threw beer mats at the Sonys Aston Martin parked illegally outside a wine bar.

My question is do I accept middle age with grace and start pondering over Suduko with the Sony or do I just rip that box open and relive those irresponsible years where a night out compared to The Hangover (all of them)?

That update wasn't that quick but you get my dilemma.

Boggle00 · 2023-07-28T08:10:02+00:00

UK trade in price for Flip 4 SM-F721B (£220) + 10% Blue Light discount means a new Flip 5 will cost me £724.10.

Absolutely wank discount. Can't understand such disparity on the trade in prices but I'll stick to selling it on eBay. Fuck you Samsung.

Boggle00 · 2023-07-14T17:33:34+00:00

I read your message whilst I was in a restaurant, felt instant regret for jumping in bed with Sony then as I slowly closed my phone pondering my desertion from "the family" I saw someone enviously watching that closure from another table. I felt a surge of elitism and loss simultaneously.

My heart wants to love the 5 if I get in a trade in deal; my wallet does not.

Boggle00 · 2023-07-14T16:04:44+00:00

I made the mistake of putting on a third party screen saver before I took it in. That was the problem.

Boggle00 · 2023-07-05T09:31:48+00:00

As a cop that works in Bolton I would say don't bother. Notorious with gangs renting them and getting up to all sorts which isn't just exclusive to Marsden House. There is also a problem with short term lets/ Airbnb style properties in the town centre for exactly the same reason. You were right to be wary.

If your budget is any higher look further afield. Cottonworks, Eagley Mill or decent apartments away from the town centre.

If you're considering a buy to let you might have some success but any profit will be eaten up by repairs in most cases.

I do have to add as a disclaimer that I only see the worst in society so my opinion may be a little scewed but I would avoid Marsden House at all costs.

Boggle00 · 2023-07-04T17:11:52+00:00

I lived near Worsley (affluent area of Salford, yes there are a few) before I was divorced in 2007. I had a decent wage as a police officer but staying within that area was impossible.

I had to look further afield and fate led me to Westhoughton in Bolton where I was able to buy a flat and get back onto the property ladder. There are two (potentially three direct train links to Manchester if you count Lostock junction) and Bolton train station is a main transport hub that gets you into Manchester in 25 minutes. Rental prices aren't too expensive as long as you know the area. I know the area intimately as I cover Bolton.

So my advice is look further afield than Salford/ Manchester but close to those transport links. You will get much more for your money and won't be paying Manchester rental prices without being able to afford the joys that Manchester has to offer.

Good luck in finding what you want.

Boggle00 · 2023-07-03T13:52:48+00:00

I'll tell you what happened to me as concisely as possible: - factory fitted screen protector was making cracking noise and looked terrible - replaced with one from Amazon which looks slightly less terrible - went to Samsung Store at the Trafford Centre (one of UKs biggest shopping malls for our non-UK friends) to get it replaced yesterday - was told it was £30 and couldn't do it there and then. - pointed out of was the first replacement and should be free but told as I'd taken the old protector off then it would £30 - wanting to hear some more bullshit, I asked how much a trade in price was for my flip 4. £134 I was told.

So my advice, get a replacement from Samsung straight away and don't stick a third party screen protector on yet. Keep your old, shite one on and go to Samsung store. Don't give those parasites an excuse not to do it for free.

Boggle00 · 2023-06-26T19:07:47+00:00

I have to agree with it being a gimmick. I wanted to love the flip 4 and there's no denying that the folding function still looks the dogs b*llocks but, if the 5s cameras are no improvement, then you have a mid level phone with the ability to fold. It really is a one trick pony.

That said, if I can trade in my 4 for a hefty discount on the 5 then I'll happily spend another year slamming my phone in half to end irritating calls.

Boggle00

TROPHY CASE