Picturesque Hale lies in the affluent southern part of Trafford, sandwiched between Hale Barns and Altrincham.

The railway crossroads lie at the heart of a friendly village that has fostered a great community spirit that caters for all ages. Whether it’s history, places to relax and watch the day go by, shopping, eating or drinking Hale has the lot – a village on the edge of one of Britain’s greatest metropolis.

Today the village’s old and new architecture sit side by side. The Millennium clock is a timely reminder of how the village will prosper in the 21st century, while buildings like St Peter’s church and the train station give visitors a flavour of the past. And of course there are traditional pubs like The Railway, a place where Mary Holt the ‘village ghost’ has often been rumoured to be seen.

The first reference to a settlement in the area of Hale is in the Domesday Book of 1086. But it wasn’t until the start of the nineteenth century that development of the village began in earnest. And the opening of the railway meant the area began to boom.

The village’s café culture makes it easy to relax over drinks and a bite to eat. The village thrives seven days a week and the continental style pavement cafes are always bustling. There’s an abundance of excellent bars and restaurants - from small independent businesses to larger chains.

Hale also has an excellent selection of bakeries and boutiques. Food is especially well catered for. In the days of supermarket culture there’s a refreshing number of good independent retailers such as butchers, fishmongers and wine merchants still trading. Aside from these gastronomic delights there’s a huge range of shops providing an atmosphere away from the stereotypical town centre street, selling everything from clothing to gifts. There’s even a designer petware shop.

Another major benefit of the area is its accessibility to major transport links. The village is just a stone’s throw from the M6 and M56 motorways.

Away from the bustle of the main village there’s plenty of places to relax and lose track of time talking to friends while watching the day go by.

And just down the road is the Dunham Massey national park. At its centre is an early Georgian house that was extensively reworked in the early years of the 20th century. Visitors can walk in one of the northwest’s great gardens with its majestic trees and beautiful avenues.

It also boasts some of the most prestigious schools in the country with Altrincham Girls Grammar School, Altrincham Boys Grammar regularly appearing in the top 50 schools list for the country. St Ambrose College is also just down the road in Hale Barns.

With all these attractions – not surprisingly property in Hale is highly sought after. Average house prices first exceeded £1million in 2005. A traditional village, many of the properties built at the start of the nineteenth century have been preserved in modern day Hale. The result is a mixture of styles.

There’s the large villas originally built for local merchants and cottages where the areas mill workers and labourers once lived. But nowadays the leafy village has become an upmarket retreat with many footballers and celebrities from the region amongst its residents