Spotlight on Rawtensall

WHY: Lovely town centre of substantial stone buildings surrounded by hills with some very upmarket shops on the main street, which was recently cobbled causing much controversy because people keep tripping and they are treacherous when wet.

They look good though and, unlike most town centres, you can actually park here. There is a huge mix of traditional stone houses ranging from small terrace to substantial mansions and lots of new build. Selective Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School has an excellent reputation and is the reason that many move here.

TRANSPORT: Good motorway access and the X43 bus leaves every 20 minutes to speed you into Manchester but the only rail services are the steam trains that run down to Bury on the East Lancashire Railway.

AGENT'S VIEW: "Last year we could have sold fridges to Eskimos the market was that mad," said Karen Parrott, of Weale and Hitchen. "Things are still buoyant but calmer, taking around eight weeks to sell. Biggest demand is from first-time buyers who round here can struggle to afford the average £65,000 for a terraced house. Prices were pushed up last year by speculators coming in buying anything that needed a bit of work, doing basically a paint job and demanding £20,000 more.

"People are moving into the area, mainly those who work in Manchester because Rawtenstall has everything, great shopping excellent schools, good communications and a good choice of housing. The only downside is the weather because once the clouds get into the valley they never seem to want to leave!"

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