At the top of a steep cobbled road just a few miles north of Bury lies one of the most isolated villages in Greater Manchester.
Tucked away beside the M66 is the idyllic hamlet of Mount Pleasant – a stunning settlement that feels like its very own little world.
A walk around the cluster of cottages in Nangreaves offers stunning views over the surrounding rolling hills.
The village green almost appears frozen in time with its beautiful stone paths and flickering street lamps.
But aside from the rows of quaint homes, the village has no shops or restaurants.
The settlement was once home to the Lord Raglan, a much-loved pub which shut its doors in October 2017.
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The closure left those on Mount Pleasant without any local amenities – making it one of most isolated villages in the county.
Nonetheless, locals say the seclusion is a perk of living in the area.
“I love the peace and quiet,” resident Tina Slattery says as she walks her dog Millie across the village green.
“I love the countryside surrounding it and the wildlife we see up here.
“It’s a good community and there are good neighbours.
“It’s fantastic. We’re very lucky.
“I personally love being out the way of everything else.
“We’re not too far from Ramsbottom and within 10 minutes you can be within the busy areas of Bury. The motorway is really handy.
“Even though it’s isolated, it’s not too isolated.
“But once you hit those cobbles, you feel like you’re in your own little world.”
Initially created to house mill workers during the industrial revolution, Mount Pleasant is now a conservation area and thriving residential community.
Ken O’Brien claims to be the oldest resident in the village.
And while he loves living in the area, he believes the closure of the local pub had a huge negative impact on residents.
“I love the beauty of it and everybody knows everybody," the 84-year-old told the M.E.N.
“I’ve been here since 1983. In the last five years a lot of young people have come in.
“I’m the oldest and I’ve been here the longest.
“The gem of the village was when we had the pub.
"We’ve lost the communal centre. Many years ago, you had to queue up outside to get in.
“Now that’s disappeared, it’s taken a hell of a lot out of the village. I used to love going to the pub; it does bother me.
“But in the summer there’s still a lot of festive things on at the village green.
“When it snows, we get snowed in for days.
“Me and my wife were stuck here for 10 days but the village came together.”
Resident Matthew told the Manchester Evening News he believes living in Mount Pleasant is "completely unique" experience.
“I just don’t feel like I live in Greater Manchester,” the 30-year-old said.
“It’s just completely unique in that sense.
“You just don’t feel like you live here. You feel like you’re miles away from anything.
“Obviously you can hear the hum of the M66. During Covid there was all this open space.
“It would be nice if the pub was still open, but we can’t do anything about that.”
Mount Pleasant was designated as a conservation area in 1974 and is a rare and partially surviving example of a purpose-built factory village.
The village consists of a mix of terraced properties dating from the early to late 19th century, complemented by a development of newer terraced properties and apartments built on the site of the original mill in 1988.
The village has a long-standing residents’ association and a more recently formed conservation group.
Sue Collins says living in the hillside area feels like 'an entirely different world'.
“It’s idyllic,” the 60-year-old added.
“We’re so used to not having amenities so the fact there’s no store or anything like that isn’t really an issue.
“To my knowledge, there never has been. There was just the pub but that’s closed down.
“There’s never really been that facility. If you live here, you accept that it’s its own little settlement.
“It’s so close to local amenities but the minute you get up the cobbled road, it’s an entirely different world.”
While some residents may find isolation in the village appealing, it has its downsides during the winter months.
Couple Kathy and Paul Hesketh, 56 and 59, found themselves stranded when the Beast from the East hit the country in 2018.
"It's quiet and private. It's secure and it has a good community," they said.
"The only thing we're missing is a pub.
"We're only two miles from the centre but the only issue is when it snows, we're stuck.
"During the Beast from the East we had to wait for the snowplow but it got stuck.
"As long as your freezer is full, you're fine. We're prone to cables coming down and having no power.
"Occasionally we get lights out.
"The village feels very safe and the neighbours are very nice.
"It's got busier since lockdown."
Karen Ravenscroft also feels snow is a concern for those living in such a secluded area.
"It’s beautiful; it’s lovely," she said.
"It's very quiet, it’s close to amenities and you feel safe when you come back home.
"I think everybody is very friendly and they like to help each other.
"There are downsides to it; we don't get salted or gritted and it's a worry when I've got to go to work. I'm a nurse so I have to be able to get to work."
