Reflections on Wigan

Wigan is probably not a place that anyone would choose to visit, unless they had to.  It's probably a poor relation to the attractions of Liverpool and Manchester, which it sits between. Most shops were already closed by the time I went looking for something to eat, at about 5.30pm.  But it does have a surprisingly attractive, pedestrianised town centre, sandwiched appropriately between two Subway shops at either end.  Surprisingly attractive for Wigan that is. 

I've always thought of Subway as a kind of downmarket Pret a Manger. You can tell whether a place is going up in the world by whether it has a Pret. It's like the difference between Waitrose and Morrisons, but when I went in to check their sandwiches, I found it was worse than I thought.  So I went to Greggs instead, to see what they had left. 'What have you got that's vegetarian?'  I asked, because all the sandwiches left were on the counter heaped in a pile.  'Well, we've got cheese....' said the attendant, without much conviction. 'Oh, that's good... what else is in it?'  I asked, since I know 'cheese' sandwiches are often 'cheese and onion', that I don't like at all.  'Ham' was the response.  Now I know vegetarianism is a fairly alien concept to some, but a cheese and ham 'vegetarian' sandwich?  Only in Wigan.  I did leave with a Vegan sandwich.  It said it was Vegan on the label so I trusted it.  I didn't ask any more questions.  I couldn't risk it. I'd just cycled 70 miles with only a cup of coffee and a piece of cake en-route.  I needed food.

Wigan does well at hiding its pedestrianised centre.  It's in a very small area surrounded by major roads organised in a one-way system used as a race track by drivers trying to kill you, and a wide underpass where other drivers can avoid Wigan completely.  It seems everyone is trying to avoid it or escape from it, which is probably not a bad idea :-)

That said, it did have a nice cycle track with a good surface through a wooded area that we used to make our own exit.  Perhaps there are things worth visiting Wigan for..