Let's move to ... ... Hebden Bridge

Saturday, September 3, 2005

From today's Guardian Weekend

'Rurties' are not, as the name suggests, a Wurzels tribute band. Just as irritating, they're one of those cumbersome demographic phenomena PR companies dream up just to get press coverage. Voilà: 'rural arties', a new breed who flee cities at 35 for bo-ho enclaves like, well, here.

Ups Maybe it's Sylvia Plath in the nearby graveyard of Heptonstall (this is Ted Hughes's birthplace) or the hippies that settled in the 70s, but Hebden Bridge is very arty. All creative festivals, real ale and wi-fi cafes. Big gay community. National Trust countryside. Top shops. Great cinema.

Downs A little self-conscious. Pricey.

Getting around By rail: Leeds, 55 min/every 20 min; Manchester, 40 min/every 30 min.

Schools Primaries, decent: Old Town Junior 'good', says Ofsted.

Property Ah, the rub. Pricier than all around, but cheaper (and nicer) than Manchester and Leeds. One-bed flats in terraces and mill conversions, £85,000-£150,000. Two-bedroom terraces and flats, £120,000- £170,000. Three-bedroom 'up and under houses' (two homes on top of one another, facing opposite directions), from £210,000. Detacheds and townhouses, £300,000-£540,000.