Nestling

"The property nestles....".
Now being a frequenter of estate agents' websites, shop windows etc, I am noticing the kind of blurb they write to talk up the property they are trying to sell. One term I have noticed is 'beautifully presented', and that's what was said about this place when I came to look at it. It may not qualify for that description any more, as I think it means that it is all clean and tidy everywhere, with nothing looking unfinished or out of place. I can't claim that for here now at all.

A term that seems to go back years is this thing about 'nestling'. A property gained points if it could be said to 'nestle' in the hillside or at the foot of something, and there are some aspects of this place that could be said to fit this description, and maybe in these troubled times it's good to nestle again. It's a mid-terraced townhouse kind of house on a small estate built in the early 1970s, so it doesn't sound promising, but if you look at the map of Wardle you will see that the village itself 'nestles' in the foothills of the Pennines, and for anyone who likes a wild walk on the moors then it's a brilliant location. This house is just about half an inch to the right of the beer mug you can see towards the southern part of Wardle, and to get an idea of the scale, I can walk up to and round the reservoir in about an hour. I could wish I were staying here, as this reservoir is used for windsurfing, and what a fabulous backdrop there must be when one glides silently across, as the reservoir really does 'nestle' in the hills, with the distinctive Brown Wardle hill to the west. Watergrove reservoir & Brown Wardle Look out for Watergrove reservoir if you fly overhead, as its distinctive shape is visible, I am told. There's a yearly fell race round here, and here's the map: Wardle skyline it makes a great 7 mile walk for those who are past running.

The estate itself nestles just beyond the hills you pass between if you walk up the path from Shore which is to the east. I never tire from looking towards here from the railway line in Littleborough and thinking 'My little house is just behind that hill', which is Birch Hill, as there is a distinctive gap that can be seen from a long way away. Now I'm starting to think of the Pied Piper,

"He never can cross that mighty top!
He's forced to let the piping drop
And we shall see our children stop!
When, lo, as they reached the mountain-side,
A wondrous portal opened wide,
As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed;
And the Piper advanced and the children followed,
And when all were in to the very last,
The door in the mountain-side shut fast."

and I mustn't, because this hill is totally positive in its associations!

The house itself goes deeper into what I call 'the Wardle bowl', and so it has a very sloping front garden;

Look carefully and you can see the old 'For Sale' sign between lamp posts.

perhaps the front path is a little too steep for comfort, but this is easily rectified, and I may have an alternative solution on the way. I did worry that there might be a flooding or drainage problem as a result, but the man next door but one has done prophylactic work and fitted a pipe to a drain, so even in this wettest of winters, there has been no hint of a problem.

This house had a 5 ft very square golden privet hedge at the front, which I have now removed as looking out from the living room, I felt to be in a bit of a prison; now I can watch life go by a little, which I need to be able to do, as having lived in a vicarage for decades, I didn't find it easy feeling quite as cut off from human life as living on an estate seems to entail. In estate agents' blurb, we will say that it is 'a quiet cul-de-sac', though you can walk through to the centre of Wardle from here, with its 3 useful shops (butcher, baker and all-purpose newsagent/off-licence) and library. You can actually live here with very little need to venture further, if the weather gets bad.

The price? I haven't decided yet. All this will appear in due course, so please be patient as I am having to be with my rebuilding life.

On-street parking, a hedge that isn't there any more, and the previous 'For Sale' notice.